Mortal Kombat Khronicles
by The 4th Snake
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring various characters, intended to explore the cast in more depth than Netherrealm Studios will.
1. A Brother's Farewell

Sub-Zero marched through the halls of the Lin Kuei palace towards the Grandmaster's chamber, as was customary before embarking on a mission. As he approached the chamber, he passed his red-clad clanmate, Sektor, as the latter exited the chamber, no doubt embarking upon a mission of his own. The two warriors exchanged a nod of acknowledgement and good fortune as they passed each other.

Sub-Zero entered the small, round chamber of the Grandmaster, coming to a stop as he stepped upon the black half of the yin-yang symbol adorning the marble floor before the Grandmaster's throne. He bowed before dropping to one knee and bringing his clenched left fist into his open right palm in a respectful salute.

"At ease, Lin Kuei Warrior." The crimson robe-clad man spoke in a commanding, yet somewhat familial, tone. Sub-Zero looked up into the eyes of his master. It was neither friendship, nor love that the Grandmaster's tone and steely gaze conveyed; but rather, respect. Respect for the abilities of the man the Grandmaster regularly praised as the clan's most cunning and mighty warrior. Respect that was well-earned.

Outside of the fact that he was Sektor's father, little was known of the Grandmaster's history or personal life; not even his name was known to any but his son, whose loyalty was rivalled only by the cryomancer's. Then again, that information, though mysterious and alluring, was ultimately irrelevant; the clan members needed only obey the Grandmaster, not befriend.

"Are you prepared for your mission, Sub-Zero?" the Grandmaster asked, confident of the answer.

"Yes, Grandmaster," the assassin replied respectfully. "I depart soon."

The mission in question was the assassination of the Outworld sorcerer, Shang Tsung. A year ago, following the incident with the fallen Elder God, Shinnok, and the death of Sub-Zero's nemesis, Scorpion, Shang Tsung had journeyed to the Lin Kuei compound to personally deliver an invitation to Sub-Zero; and invitation to compete in the next Mortal Kombat tournament, which was now mere days away.

Mortal Kombat was an ancient ritual established by the Elder Gods themselves to protect smaller realms, such as Earthrealm, from being swallowed up by the ever-growing domain of the Emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn. If the emperor wished to seize control of another realm, his warriors would have to best those of the defending realm ten times in a row. Outworld currently held a nine tournament streak thanks to the unequalled might of the four-armed Kuatan prince, Goro.

With Shao Kahn's victory so close at hand, it was a total mystery as to why the sorcerer had approached Sub-Zero to extend an invitation to compete. He was under no obligation to select warriors to represent Earthrealm. In addition, Shang Tsung was desperate to atone for his failure the last time Outworld had been on the cusp of supreme victory, making his motive an unsolvable riddle.

There was also the enigmatic figure that had hired the Lin Kuei to assassinate the sorcerer. Not only were their identity and motive unknown, but it was rather convenient that both an invitation and a mission had been brought before the same clan. The invitation would be a valuable cover for Sub-Zero's presence on the island, but there were so many unknowns on both sides. The most likely explanation was that this unknown party desired to see Shao Kahn's forces thwarted for their own purposes and they had opted to hired the clan that had defeated the similar Netherrealm sorcerer, Quan Chi. Another possibility had arisen: that Shang Tsung himself had hired Sub-Zero, but again, his potential motives for such an act were uncertain.

Sub-Zero and the Grandmaster had discussed these mysteries at length once the request had been made. Both were confident that Sub-Zero could accomplish this mission, but caution was advocated by both.

"Very good," the Grandmaster replied. "I will await news of your success once the tournament concludes."

"Thank you, Grandmaster. With your admission, I would see my brother before I depart."

"As you wish," the Grandmaster nodded in agreement.

Likewise, Sub-Zero nodded in a deep bow before standing and leaving the chamber. As he walked back down the hallway he had just passed through, Sub-Zero caught sight of a dark-skinned clanmate adorned in black and yellow.

"Cyrax," Sub-Zero said as he came to a stop before the other man.

"Sub-Zero," Cyrax bowed respectfully. "Tundra is training with Smoke in the courtyard," he disclosed, already aware of Sub-Zero's destination without need of an explanation.

"Thank you, my friend," Sub-Zero said with a bow before continuing on his way.

Upon entering the courtyard, Sub-Zero spotted his brother sparring with his friend. Tundra was almost as adept with his cryo powers as his brother, making Sub-Zero proud to see him clad in his own ice-blue garb.

As he approached the duo, it was the grey-clad warrior that noticed him first. Following Smoke's gaze, Tundra found his brother approaching and held up a hand to tell his friend to stop the match. The two shifted from their battle stances as Sub-Zero nodded towards the bowing duo.

"At ease, Kuai Liang," Bi-Han said warmly. "Smoke, may we have a moment?"

"Of course, Sub-Zero," Smoke replied with a respectful salute before stepping away.

"It is time?" Kuai Liang asked.

"Yes," Bi-Han responded with a nod. "The sorcerer's ship will arrive soon. But I hear you have your own mission to depart for soon."

"Indeed, Brother," Kuai Liang replied, unable to fully contain his enthusiasm. It was understandable, of course. This would, after all, be his first solo mission in service to the clan. "Perhaps someday, we can undertake a mission together, Brother."

Bi-Han smiled beneath his frosty face mask. "I eagerly await that day, Kuai Liang. But you must first regale me with tales of your first mission when I return."

"Of course, Brother," Kuai Liang acknowledged, bringing a clenched fist up to his chest in salute. "And you as well."

"As you wish," Bi-Han chuckled, mirroring his brother's action.

"Be safe, Brother," Kuai Liang said after a moment, Bi-Han finding his brother's confidence in his abilities encouraging.

"Always, Brother," Bi-Han replied with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Kuai Liang matched this with a hand of his own and an assured nod.

With that, Sub-Zero turned and left the courtyard, marching through the large oaken doors at the front of the compound. He had his target and he had his pretext. He would travel to Hong Kong, where Shang Tsung's Nethership awaited for those brave or, indeed, foolish enough to risk their lives - their very _souls_ \- in the Shaolin tournament.

Sub-Zero spared one last glance back across the bridge towards the massive mountaintop temple, shrouded and concealed by an almost otherworldy mist. A strangely pronounced, ominous feeling welled up within him, as if he might never see this place again.

"Ridiculous," he chided himself, reminding himself that, not a year ago, had he slain the mighty sorcerer, Quan Chi, and outwitted his Elder God master. Sub-Zero had the skill and the power to bring Shao Kahn's servant to his knees. The only question was, how many other competitors would he have to shatter before he reached his quarry?

He marched onwards, prepared to place his life on the line to bring honour to his family and clan, but completely ignorant to the spectre of his past that awaited him... in Mortal Kombat.

* * *

 _This piece was inspired by a thought that occurred to me while writing my rereview of Mortal Kombat (2011). I realised that the games have never depicted the two Sub-Zeroes interracting as Sub-Zeroes._


	2. The Hero's Legacy

Kung Lao ducked as Liu Kang's signature flying kick flew overhead. Reacting quickly, Kung Lao teleported in the direction Liu Kang had flown just as his cousin turned back to face him. He materialised behind Liu Kang, taking advantage of his momentary confusion with one of his own signature moves: the Whirlwind Spin. The attack knocked Liu Kang into the air, opening him up to another attack. However, the ever-quick-thinking Liu Kang reorientated himself to face Kung Lao and launch his Dragon Fire attack Kung Lao's way, forcing him to prolong his Whirlwind Spin to guard against the attack.

By the time the fireball had dissipated harmlessly across the barrier of wind, Liu Kang was back on his feet, throwing a second fireball Kung Lao's way. Realising Liu Kang's plan, Kung Lao stopped spinning, using his built up momentum to throw his bladed hat directly into the fireball before rolling to the side. The hat's serrated blade sliced through the flame dragon and careened towards Liu Kang, who simply slid under it on his knees. The blade narrowly missed Liu Kang's head, but sliced through part of his fringe, slicing it off.

The repositioned Kung Lao would need a moment to will his hat back onto his head, giving Liu Kang a brief opening to attack. He quickly closed the gap with another flying kick, which Kung Lao blocked with both hands. Liu Kang then struck Kung Lao in the chest with his left foot, and then the right and then the left, alternating rapidly, revealing the attack to actually be his Bicycle Kick. Sensing his forward momentum dying, Liu Kang kicked off from Kung Lao's still blocking arms, flip kicking Kung Lao in the chin. Both monks flipped backwards, Liu Kang landing in a crouch after one flip and Kung Lao flipping three times before landing flat on his back. Before Kung Lao knew what was happening, Liu Kang was stood over him, his fist aflame.

"I yield," Kung Lao said in a strained manner, holding his hand up to signal his surrender. Liu Kang's expression immediately softened into a friendly smile. He dispersed the flame and held out his hand to help his friend up. As Kung Lao took his cousin's instantly cooled hand, the area erupted with applause as Liu Kang was declared the winner of the bout.

The two were stood on the lei tai of the Wu Shi Academy's practice area, observed on all sides by masters, students and villagers alike. Chief among them were the White Lotus Society's founder, the Thunder God Raiden, and the mentor of both competitors, the Outworld master Bo' Rai Cho. They made their way onto the platform to congratulate the two on a battle well fought. As they approached, Kung Lao skulked off to retrieve his hat, leaving Liu Kang alone to soak up the praise.

"Very well fought, my student," Bo' Rai Cho applauded, heartily patting his student on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Master," Liu Kang replied with a deep bow.

"Liu Kang." As Raiden spoke his name, Liu Kang bowed even deeper.

"Lord Raiden," he said with the deepest respect he could muster.

"I am most impressed with your abilities," the Thunder God praised. "Bo' Rai Cho has taught you well."

The master chuckled. "A painting is only as good as the canvas upon which it is painted; and I was gifted with a most wonderful canvas, indeed!"

"You honour me, Master," Liu Kang said with another bow.

"Come now. We must celebrate your selection to compete in the tournament. You too, Kung Lao." As Bo' Rai Cho dragged Liu Kang towards the main temple, followed by the remaining monks, Kung Lao stayed where he was. Raiden took note of this and approached.

"Kung Lao, do not feel so sombre," he consoled. "You fought with skill and determination that would have made your ancestor proud to have you bear his name."

"But it was still not enough, was it?" the monk replied, his tone a mix of sorrow and bitterness.

Kung Lao had always taken pride in his family lineage; descended from, and named for, the Great Kung Lao - the hero who had save Earthrealm when last Outworld had achieved a nine tournament streak. Although he had been slain in the very next tournament, the fact that the White Lotus _could_ send a warrior to compete for Earthrealm five hundred years later at all was a testament to the man's legacy.

With Earthrealm's situation now mirroring what it had five centuries ago, Kung Lao's parents had chosen to name him in honour of his ancestor in hopes that it would inspire him, that destiny would take hold and allow their child to replicate his ancestor's feats. But it was not to be. Liu Kang would be the one to hold Earthrealm's future in his hands, not Kung Lao.

"I have brought dishonour to my family. My father had so much faith in me and I failed him."

"Kung Lao, stop this," Raiden said more sternly. "Liu Kang was victorious here not because he it better than you."

"No. It is because I am worse than him." With that, the melancholic monk walked away, leaving Raiden alone with no words to encourage him.

* * *

"To Liu Kang and Earthrealm's victory!" Bo' Rai Cho roared, gulping down his next mug of wine before the other monks could even register the words he was urging them to chant. Bo' Rai Cho was an incredible warrior, but his raucous nature was usually at odds with the more reserved, peaceful monks of the White Lotus. Fortunately for him, he had been the one to train the Great Kung Lao, so his presence was tolerated by even the most dour monk.

"With how Master Bo' Rai Cho proceeds, one would think Earthrealm had already won the tournament," Master Wen remarked, shaking his head in resignation.

Liu Kang chuckled. "Perhaps, but in times as dark as these, one needs the occasional break to maintain hope. Or so my other master taught me," he added with a wry smile, which his master returned.

"Whether you succeed or fail, Liu Kang, know that you have made us all very proud, regardless."

"I will. Thank you, Master."

"I know you will. But right now, I sense there is another in need of the hope you inspire." He pointed a frail finger towards the temple doors, where a figure silhouetted against the full moon could be seen quietly leaving the banquet. Its form was unmistakeable.

"Kung Lao?" Liu Kang quickly gave his master a parting bow before rushing past the monks congratulating him, gently pushing them aside until he was out in the cool night air. He caught sight of Kung Lao heading towards the village, where his family lived. Liu Kang called out his name as he quickly approached.

"Liu Kang?" his friend uttered in surprised before his moonlit face took on a much more bitter expression. "Shouldn't you be celebrating your victory with the others?"

Liu Kang's own expression darkened at the accusatory tone of his cousin. "Shouldn't _you_ as well? You may not have won, but few would say you lost."

"Spare me the disingenuous praise, Liu Kang. You won, I lost and my family has been dishonoured."

"How could you think that, Kung Lao? Your skills are worthy of our ancestors; I know that first-hand, trust me." Liu Kang reached up and ran his finger through the section of hair that had been shaven off by Kung Lao's hat. "But this isn't about me, is it?"

"All my life, I have been trained to compete in the tournament. I was given the Great Kung Lao's name, I was chosen to inherit his combat hat and his training gear, I learned all the skills he did... and it was still not enough to beat you. If I am not the best warrior the academy has trained in our generation, then I am not worthy of any of the faith that was placed in me."

"Kung Lao-"

"I have failed my mother, my father... young Kung Jin sees me as a hero an I let him down."

"Kung Lao, no-"

"And worse, this is not even about your victory, Liu Kang. You have trained just as hard as I have. Earthrealm needs, now more than ever, to have the absolute best warriors competing for its future, and if you are to compete, then it is only a sign that _you_ are the best. Yet I still feel resentment towards you for besting me. I do not deserve the name, not because I lost, but because I feel such resentment over your-"

Liu Kang clasped his hands tightly on Kung Lao's shoulders. "Kung Lao, listen to me. I may have proven victorious this day, and I may even be a greater warrior than you; but that, in no way, brings dishonour to our family. You always had much more undue pressure placed on your shoulders than I did. I understand how you feel and I forgive you."

"Liu Kang-"

"Just let me say one last thing," Liu Kang interrupted, silencing his cousin. "You and I are both worthy and capable of defending Earthrealm. If I win the tournament and prevent Outworld's victory, then all of our ancestors will be honoured; yours and mine. But should I lose..." Liu Kang's voice took on a much more grim tone. "Should I fall in Mortal Kombat, Earth will need a strong warrior to lead the charge against Shao Kahn's invasion force. It would truly honour our ancestors if that warrior would be you."

Understanding what Liu Kang was saying, Kung Lao nodded slowly as he realised that, not only had he never given much thought to the possibility that he might not be the one to compete in the tournament, but he had never given much thought to the potential outcome of Earthrealm's loss either. Liu Kang, however, had clearly put a lot of thought into the many potential outcomes.

Kung Lao smiled in resignation. "You truly are the best man to compete, Liu Kang. Very well, I will stay and prepare for the... _potential_ invasion." He corrected himself and emphasised the word in hopes of assuring his cousin that he didn't doubt his abilities.

Liu Kang returned the smile. "I know you will, Kung Lao. And be it by my hand or yours, Outworld _will_ be stopped before it ever threatens our home." He held up his forearm, which Kung Lao bumped with his own in solidarity.

After a moment, Kung Lao spoke again. "Come with me, Cousin. I have something I'd like to show you."

* * *

Raiden stood by Bo' Rai Cho and Master Wen's side at the academy's main gate the following morning, awaiting Liu Kang's arrival. The people of the village had all gathered to wish him luck and shower him with praise and gifts. Raiden recalled similar incidents with all of the White Lotus' other candidates, even before the Great Kung Lao had departed for his legendary victory. Bo' Rai Cho's nostalgic expression indicated that he too was recalling such times.

The crowd of villagers grew closer, coming to a stop before Raiden as many of the villagers bowed to the Thunder God in respect. This gave Liu Kang and Kung Lao an opportunity to step out of the crowd and bow themselves.

Raiden was surprised by what Liu Kang was wearing; he had dropped his usual black pants for a pair in red and black with a dragon pattern running down the legs, not too dissimilar to the red pants the Great Kung Lao had worn in the tournaments. But more surprising were the matching red headband and the spiked wristbands he wore as accessories.

"Liu Kang, are those...?" Liu Kang straightened up in surprise before looking down at his wrists.

"I thought he could use something to guard against blades," Kung Lao explained. "That and keep that unkempt hair out of his eyes," he added with a wry smile.

As Bo' Rai Cho laughed heartily and gave his star pupil some final words of encouragement, Raiden could only smile. It seemed that these accessories were indeed those the two's ancestor had worn all those centuries ago. No doubt his old friend would be happy to know that his descendants saw fit to honour him so, and that he would be proud of both, not only as warriors, but as honourable men.

* * *

 _I wanted to do some more Mortal Kombat work, so here we go. I feel that Kung Lao's Shaolin Monks backstory and motivation has a lot of potential that the creators, naturally, fail to fully take advantage of. Did I do a better job? No idea. What do you think?_


	3. A Sister's Remembrance

"You summoned me, Father?" asked Kitana, Princess of Outworld, upon her entry into her father's private chambers. It was a rare occurrence for anyone to be allowed entry into this room, even his only daughter. On the exceedingly rare occasion he allowed it, he had serious matters he wished to discuss. In fact, the last time she recalled being asked inside was when he had mournfully informed her of the death of her mother.

"Indeed," came the simple reply of her father's deep, commanding voice. The room was dark, lit only by a handful of candles, which the pungent scent permeating the room indicated were incense-based. Kitana barely remembered the layout from all those years ago, so what little she could see through the darkness could have been untouched or completely changed and she'd never know. There was, however, a wooden chair at a small desk, where the thickest of the candles stood.

Accepting this wordless invitation (the Emperor much preferred delivering commands to offering invitations), Kitana sat on the chair and pulled down her face mask, something she only did in private with her father or Jade, as per Edenian tradition. Her Emperor seemed to be debating with himself how best to proceed here. She waited patiently with her hands on her lap, until he finally spoke again.

"Kitana." She almost jumped at the stark contrast his voice brought to the near total silence that had, until now, bathed the room like a miasma. He leaned in closer, allowing the dim light to illuminate the frightening visage he preferred to keep obscured by his iconic war helmet. "There is... something you must know."

"Y-Yes, Father?" Kitana said automatically without thought. She worried that she might have spoken out of turn, but her father seemed too preoccupied with choosing his words to notice. He paced his words slowly and deliberately.

"Many years ago, when your mother died, do you remember where you were when the _Earthrealm assassins_ made their move?" His vitriol as he referred to the murderers of his wife was plain to see.

"I was..." It took Kitana a moment to remember the answer to that question. Why? Why was she not instantly sure where she was at such a pivotal moment of her life? "I was in my room, sleeping?" And her answer came out more as a question? What was wrong with her? Why did she feel like the answer she knew to be right was actually a lie?

"I see you still believe that. I expected as much." What did he mean by that? "In truth, you were not in your room; you were present when the killers struck. It was by good fortune you yourself were unharmed. Were it not for Rain and Jade's arrival..."

As her father trailed off, likely struggling to continue speaking so openly about his loving wife's violent murder, Kitana pondered what she had just been told. Her mother's death had happened thousands of years ago. Had she somehow misremembered it all this time? How could that be possible?

"We believe you may have repressed your tragic memories as a means of protecting yourself. There are other things not directly related to the incident that, at the time, we felt were better left forgotten. However, the situation has since changed."

"I... I do not understand, Father." Kitana's mind was spinning. Some of what her father was saying felt so wrong, but she could explain neither how nor why.

"You will in due time," he replied reassuringly. "Do as I say and I will guide you towards remembering."

"Y...Yes, Father." She found it strangely comforting to simply do as her father told her, knowing that he had all the answers.

"Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let the incense wash over you."

Kitana did as she was told, naturally. There was something oddly familiar about the scent that filled her nostrils, though she couldn't quite place it. It felt like something she had smelled in the distant past, but couldn't quite place it. It reminded her, strangely, of her mother's death. She wasn't sure what exactly the incense's intended use was, but the more of it that entered her system, the less she seemed to care. There was something strangely... inviting, she supposed, about the whole thing.

As she continued to breathe in more and more of the incense, she began to lose track of both time and her father's words. It was a strange sensation; she couldn't hear the words per se, but she could still understand what was being said to her. From her suppressed spacial awareness, Kitana had no idea that her eyes had reopened at some point, unseeing and milky white as those of an undead as her trance took hold.

Through her father's words, Kitana's open mind began to remember. He was correct, it turned out, that she had suppressed her memories of the incident. Only now, through whatever arcane methods her Emperor was employing, was she able to accurately recall the events of that whole sordid affair.

* * *

"Mother," a younger Kitana said cheerfully as she entered the throneroom of Emperor Shao Kahn and Empress Sindel of Outworld. "Where is Father?"

"I'm afraid he left earlier this evening," her mother replied from her throne, her tone expressing a deep longing for her beloved's return.

" _Another_ rebellion?" Kitana surmised.

Sindel gave a wide, prideful smile. "Very astute, Kitana. I see our realm will be in safe hands once it comes time for you to ascend the throne."

"Mother, please! Your and Father's reign will be everlasting."

Sindel stood from her throne and crossed the room to where Kitana stood. She cupped her daughter's cheeks and beamed. She was about to speak when something behind Kitana caught her eye.

"Mileena!" She released her grip on her daughter's cheeks, allowing Kitana to turn and face her younger twin sister, who smiled as widely as their mother.

"Mother. Sister." Mileena embraced her sister, who squeezed her tightly in response. Aside from the uncontrollable downpour outside the windows, theirs was a good life, thanks to the ever-protective arm of their father.

But that life came to an abrupt end as one of the royal guards came rushing into the throneroom to report an attack on the palace - a report cut short by the attack in question spilling into the throneroom via a fireball burning a hole directly through the poor man's torso from behind. Before the messenger's body had even hit the floor, a trio of unknown warriors had already entered the room.

One was covered head-to-toe in black garments, aside from his eyes and muscular arms. An assassin, no doubt. The first of his companions wore a large wolf pelt over his head and back, while his chest remained bare, save for the copious amounts of white body paint he had applied there. His talents would remain a mystery for now but the use of a fireball, coupled with the more mundane looks of his allies, suggested to Kitana that this man had been the caster, and was thus likely a mage or shaman. The third of the trio, standing front and centre, was fully armoured and wielding a longsword. A knight, no doubt, but not one from either Edenia or Outworld. Somehow knew on an instinctual level that these men were from Earthrealm.

Their motives remained momentarily unclear as they wordlessly began slaying the guards with swords and daggers and various flavours of magic. Sindel shielded her daughters and ushered them to the back of the room. The knight made a move towards them, ready to strike with his glimmering blade, but he was knocked off-balance by a jetstream of water as Rain leapt into the room from the window.

Kitana's personal guard formed a high-pressure hydraulic blade around his hand as he charged toward the knight. His strike was intercepted, however, by the knight's ninja companion. As the two similarly-clad warriors faced off, the knight continued his march towards his intended quarry.

The shaman, still dispatching the guards with little effort, soon found himself smashed in the side of the head by a long metallic pole, sending him sprawling to the ground as the green-clad Jade entered the scene. From the way her left hand clutched her side, it seemed the invaders had wounded Kitana's friend outside the throneroom and assumed the Edenian warrior was as durable as their own short-lived kind - a grievous error, indeed.

Rain deftly parried each of his opponent's strikes, facing away from the royalty to allow himself to slowly back towards them so he could engage the knight as well. Until he was close enough, however, it fell to Sindel to defend her daughters. Unbeknownst to all but the royal family, Sindel kept a kwan dao hidden behind her throne for just such an occasion.

She backed away behind the throne and the knight pursued. He was caught off-guard as the metal counterweight of the weapon struck the side of his head as he rounded the corner, sending him staggering back into the open. Sindel capitalised on the opportunity and swung the blade, expertly aimed for her would-be assassin's neck, digging deep and unleashing a powerful geyser of blood.

With some difficulty, Sindel pulled the blade free of the gaping wound in the man's neck and swung again. This time, she took his head clean off. Kitana and Mileena were stunned as the man's severed head hit the floor several feet from his crumpled body, leaving an uneven blood trail as it skidded and spun.

The ninja managed to pierce Rain's shoulder with a dagger, sending him reeling. Using the opening, the assassin threw a second dagger towards Sindel. Sindel's famously powerful scream both deflected the weapon and stunned the attacker long enough for the injured Rain to slice the man's hand off with his water blade, unleashing another powerful torrent of blood.

The shaman recovered from Jade's sneak attack and struck her in the midsection with a fireball, enough to knock her off her feet but not to cause any lasting damage. His next attack, a quick blast of lightning, caught Sindel off-guard and knocked her glaive from her grasp.

The ninja, rather than attempt to seal up his wound, used it as a weapon, spraying Rain directly in the eyes with his bloody stump's ongoing torrent. This bought him an opening to throw a trio of kunai Sindel's way. Again, her scream deflected the attack, until the shaman hit her directly with a second lightning blast. This opening allowed the ninja to get in another kunai throw right before the blinded Rain swung wildly with his water blade and slashed the assassin's throat.

But the assassin's blade found its mark: Sindel's own throat, ironically. While the strike wasn't enough to deal a mortal blow, it was enough to put her most powerful asset out of commission for the remainder of the fight... and her life. The shaman unleashed his most powerful lightning blast yet: powerful enough to actually pierce Sindel's body all the way through, directly impacting her heart.

Sindel's life came to an end before her body hit the floor.

After that, the shaman fled, the now feral Mileena giving chase. With Kitana frozen in her grief, Jade wounded and Rain blinded, there was no one able to pursue Mileena to stop her from getting herself killed. Jade's urging was able to snap Kitana out of her grief long enough to pursue them. She arrived at the Earthrealmers' portal just in time to witness the shaman strike Mileena with an eerie green light that seemed to leave the princess gasping for air, as far as Kitana could see from her position behind the two.

Mileena managed to get to her feet and stagger away from the assassin, only for him to summon lightning from the rain-filled sky. The attack struck the ground behind Mileena with enough force to send her tumbling over the edge of the platform and into the chasm below. Kitana screamed her sister's name as she rushed towards the ledge. The harsh weather had left the valley flooded with a strong current that had washed Mileena away within seconds.

Kitana whirled around, ready to rip the Earthrealmer's fucking throat out, but to her devastated dismay, he was gone. The portal was closed and the man who had taken both her mother and her sister from her was gone. Forever.

And her father would make sure all of Earthrealm would suffer the consequences.

* * *

The world reformed around Kitana, slowly, yet jarringly. Her frigid tears from that cold, cold night slowly shifted into fresh, warm tears of today. Throughout the entire process of remembering, she had convinced herself that the events she was recalling were happening now, not thousands of years ago. In a strange way, she was glad those events were long past, now that she was capable of acknowledging that they _were_ memories.

Memories she had long since forgotten, it seemed. Perhaps her father was right- No, she _knew_ he was. She had repressed those memories to protect herself - convinced herself that she had been absent during her mother's death, so as not to be forever haunted by the image of her lifeless, bloodied body; and to avoid the guilt of not being able to protect her. She had even gone so far as to make herself completely forget that she had an identical twin sister for much the same reasons. But now, she remembered. And the guilt she now felt was, arguably, far greater than any she had tried to shield herself from.

The room was brighter now, lit by more candles spaced throughout the chamber, allowing her to more clearly see her father's anxious expression.

"I... I remember," was all Kitana could manage to say, despite knowing that her father knew that. "I remember... Mileena."

Shao Kahn placed a hand on Kitana's. "I know. That was what I wanted you to remember."

Kitana opened her mouth to respond; to ask how he could have let her live for so long in ignorance of the fact that she had once had a twin sister, but he seemed to know what she wanted to say as he held up a hand to silence her. She obeyed.

"I discussed the issue for countless hours with my closest advisers. We all agreed it would be for the best if your mind was not plagued with regret and sorrow over your sister's death. And now, you wonder what changed."

Kitana nodded.

"It will come as a shock to you, so I want you to take a deep breath and relax." It didn't take much convincing, really. The incense was still as powerful as when she'd first entered the room. It was less that she took more of it in as he asked her to... more that she was made more aware of its lingering presence.

Either way, Kitana felt oddly calm as her father motioned for someone to enter. It was a woman that entered the room. Despite the relative darkness and the woman's mask, there was something unmistakably familiar about the woman's eyes. They were the same eyes that stared back at Kitana every time she looked into a mirror.

There was no mistaking it: this woman was Mileena, her sister.

Despite the calming effect of the incense, Kitana was overcome with emotion. She simply had a more controlled reaction than would otherwise be possible upon discovering that her long dead sister was alive. As she slowly dragged herself to her feet and stumbled towards her sister, it was clear to Kitana that Mileena had those same brown eyes from all those years ago; not the milky white of an undead. Mileena had never died in the first place.

"How...?"

"Mileena was left at death's door by the attack," her wise father explained as he stood to join his two daughters. "She was recovered by a farming family some time later, but whatever magic the assassin performed on her..."

Mileena looked to her father uneasily. He nodded understandingly. She turned back to Kitana and said, "Brace yourself, Sister," before pulling down her mask.

Kitana winced at the sight. She wasn't quite sure if it was out of empathy or because, aside from the afflicted area, Mileena was still perfectly identical to Kitana herself. The area in question was her mouth. The two sisters had always, by the rare few who had seen them, been complimented on their beautiful faces, with their smiles being a particularly common point of discussion. That would no longer be the case for Mileena, however.

Her lips seemed the same, but it was what lay behind them that was the cause for concern and Kitana understood the instant she saw them why her sister was uneasy about showing her. Mileena's formerly perfect white teeth, with which she had so often flashed a devilish grin when she was up to no good, had been warped and twisted; sharpened and elongated. They were like bony daggers extending from her gums. There was no mistaking it: they were tarkatan teeth.

Tarkatans - the horrid race of savage, animalistic, feral beasts that made up the bulk of their father's armies. Mileena's arms lacked any protrusions or growths, suggesting she hadn't also contracted their infamous armblades.

Mileena's eyes were welling up now, no doubt terrified that her sister's reaction to her face was a sign of rejection. And it was, Kitana supposed, but she wouldn't let her disgust stop her from pulling her sister in close and kissing her on the cheek, whispering that she was there for her and assuring her everything would be okay.

"As you can see," their father continued, "the Earthrealmer placed this curse on Mileena that is unlike anything we have ever seen before. The magic kept her amnesiac until recently. Once her memory was recovered, she made her way back to us, but this curse on her visage seems to be irreversible."

"Everything will be alright, Sister. What matters most is _who_ you are. You are my precious twin sister and nothing will ever change that."

Mileena nodded silently.

"Will that be all, Father?" Kitana asked. "I would like to spend time with Mileena, if you will permit it."

"Of course," her father replied with a smile. "Only, give me a moment to discuss something with Mileena, in private."

"Yes, Emperor," Kitana replied with an obedient bow. "I will see you in a moment, Mileena."

"Yes, Sister," Mileena replied, wiping away her tears.

Once Kitana left the room, closing the door firmly behind her as she had been taught to do, Shao Kahn cast a spell to make the room fully soundproof so he could address Mileena properly.

"You are quite the actress, my 'daughter'," he said with his first genuine grin of the entire night.

Mileena flashed her own wicked grin, a twisted version of how Kitana now believed it had once been. "Your praise fills me with joy, my Master."

"And you? Is it done?" The Emperor asked towards the shadows, from which the visage of the sorcerer Shang Tsung emerged. His wide, ever-present grin had long been burned into Mileena's mind from both the memories of Kitana she had inherited, and the countless hours she had spent in his 'care' down in his abominable Flesh Pits.

"Exactly as you commanded, my Emperor," the sorcerer reported with a deep bow. "There will be no discrepancies between the memories of Kitana and Jade. Both will accept Mileena as Kitana's beloved sister."

"Good," Shao Kahn said simply. "And Rain?"

"His loyalty to you is unquestioning, my lord. However, I can do the same to him as well, if you so desire."

"Do so. Then, you may depart and make preparations for the tournament."

"As you command," Shang Tsung replied, bowing once more and turning towards Mileena. "I look forward to seeing your progress... _Princess_ Mileena." With that, he melted back into the shadows, his dark chuckle echoing throughout the chamber long after he was gone.

"I don't trust him, Emperor," Mileena warned.

"Nor do I," her wise master replied, leaving her name unsaid until she proved her name worthy of gracing his lips. "But he has his uses. Do you?"

The question caught Mileena off-guard, but she replied with determination, "I do, Emperor. Command me, and I will see your will done."

Wordlessly, the Emperor placed his hand against the side of Mileena's face, each finger making contact with the appropriate spot for his magic to have the desired effect. Within seconds, the soft blue glow emanating from his fingertips entered his agent's mind and her eyes rolled back in their sockets until only white remained. Her mind was rewritten, the magic locking away her memories of her true mission, and her even deeper-programmed mission conceived by her true 'father'.

The door remained open just enough to subconsciously influence Mileena's actions and keep her on-task. Her conscious mind accepted the lie she was to live until the time was right to re-open the door and fulfil her duty to her master. Her eyes closed as her old reality melted away and her new reality began as they opened again, the soft blue glow faintly illuminating them from behind.

"F-Father?" she asked, struggling to think coherently as her mind slowly emerged from the fog. "What am I...?"

"You merely felt lightheaded for a moment," he said kindly. "It is nothing to worry about." He gently pulled her mask up over her mouth and patted her on the cheek. "Run along, Daughter."

Mileena felt like there was more to the story than that, but if her Father said it was nothing to worry about, she had no reason to doubt him. She nodded simply, then bowed and left the chamber. She found Kitana outside, waiting. Kitana smiled at her beloved sister, in spite of the monstrous transformation she had undertaken thanks to that damn Earthrealm sorcerer.

Kitana kissed her sister on the cheek and held her tight. "I'm so happy to see you again," she mumbled, warm tears rolling down her cheeks and onto Mileena's. Mileena responded in kind.

"And I you, Kitana. Nothing will ever keep us apart again... Sister."

* * *

This is the third in my Mortal Kombat Khronicles series. The main goals for this were:  
•Settling on a version of Kitana's backstory after the vastly different versions in each retelling of MKII:  
• _MKII_ \- Has regained her memory some time ago and works to undermine Kahn.  
• _MKSM_ \- Under mind control until defeated.  
• _MK2011_ \- Doesn't know until Kahn tells her for no reason.  
•Having a Shao Kahn who actually displays the deceit and charisma that he's supposed to have instead of just being a retarded brute like in MK2011.  
•Depicting Mileena in a way that utilises her potential to be a great sympathetic character. This one was more the setup, while I may delve further into that in the future, particularly with Baraka.

Another idea I had was for Mileena to be created around the time of Sindel's death and be sent to assassinate Kitana, leading to a fight. Kitana would fall from a ledge, but survive. Heading down after her to finish her off, Mileena would discover that Kitana had developed amnesia. Taking pity on her, Mileena would then take Kitana back with her and convince Shao Kahn that indoctrination would be preferable to assassination.

Some of you may recognise some of the flashback from my alternate take on a scene from MK2011.


	4. A Brother's Birthright

The life of a Lin Kuei warrior was one of intense danger and mystique, but not the glamorous kind. Tundra knew this; as did every other member of this Chinese clan of assassins. The legacy of Sub-Zero was shrouded in mystery, even to the man himself; and to his brother. The two had been brought to the Lin Kuei at a young age by their father, and had little to no recollection of their lives before that moment.

Kuai Liang occasionally had dreams of another life - what one might call a 'normal' life - in America, with a mother, a brother and a sister. Bi-Han had apparently found something familiar about the notion, upon being told about this dream after the third time his brother had had it. They suspected, though never confirmed, that this dream was actually a memory; that the two had not been born in China, but instead had been brought there at a young age by their father.

Either way, though, it didn't really matter. Bi-Han was thirty-two years old and Kuai Liang was approaching thirty himself. Whatever life they may have had before the Lin Kuei was long gone. Those two boys were dead; supplanted by enigmatic new entities known as Sub-Zero and Tundra, cryomantic warriors of the Lin Kuei.

Even the names of those boys were forever lost. Kuai Liang imagined that, to an outsider, it might seem odd for Kuai Liang and Bi-Han to not share a family name; but to the Lin Kuei, this was natural. All members were given new names upon induction into the clan - not just a codename, but a personal name too. The two brothers were denied a shared name, their familial connection hidden from them to emphasise that clan superseded family. Even the Grandmaster's son, Sektor, had most likely been given a new name to distance him from his father.

The brothers had only discovered their connection once Kuai Liang's power over ice had begun to manifest at age nine. Until then, the pair had been comrades and nothing more. But with the emergence of two recruits sharing such a rare power, their connection was undeniable and the Grandmaster had then revealed it to them. It had taken a while for the two to properly accept their connection, but they had become very close since then.

Bi-Han was always the more skilled in the use of their shared cryomancy, but Kuai Liang had proven the more inventive in the use of the power. Ice Puddles and Ice Clones were two such ideas of the younger brother, which the elder had quickly put to good use in his missions for the clan, quickly rising to the top of the clan's ranks. There was a reason Bi-Han was typically chosen for the most important and/or dangerous missions for the clan.

But, for all the discipline and emotional control that had been drilled into Kuai Liang since his induction, he always felt a strange sense of apprehension when his brother was away on such missions. It had started after the incident two years ago with the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi, when Bi-Han had ended up facing off with a fallen Elder God.

Now, he was on the island of Shang Tsung, competing in the final Mortal Kombat tournament to determine the fate of Earthrealm; though his mission was not so heroic. He was there to assassinate the sorcerer, not to save Earthrealm. Granted, these two tasks were ultimately one and the same, so Bi-Han would return a hero if he succeeded. But, while there were no Elder Gods in his way this time, Kuai Liang couldn't help the nagging feeling that something terrible was going to happen. It wasn't like he could do anything about it either way, so Tundra simply threw himself into his training to try and keep his mind off of it, though it did little to help.

He was sparring with Smoke when the news came. Smoke had just dodged yet another ice blast when Hydro called out to him. He half expected the Grandmaster to chastise him for letting his emotions get the better of him, but that was far from the case.

There were two people in the Grandmaster's chamber upon his arrival. One, naturally, was the red-clad Grandmaster himself, in one of his rare instances of not sitting on his throne. The other was an unfamiliar man with a somewhat regal aura about him. He wore white and blue robes and a conical hat that almost blocked his glowing white eyes from view. Without having ever seen the man, Kuai Liang knew from description that this man was Raiden, the Thunder God who protected Earthrealm. The man who had sent Bi-Han on his mission in the Netherrealm.

"Kuai Liang," the Grandmaster acknowledged as the newcomer took a knee. "Please, stand." Kuai Liang did as commanded, as Hydro closed the doors behind him to grant them privacy. There was a certain tenderness in the Grandmaster's voice that Kuai Liang had never heard before. He was typically a very stern and commanding figure, though he did ease off some when addressing Sub-Zero or Sektor as a sign of respect for his top agents. "Lord Raiden, allow me to introduce Kuai Liang, Bi-Han's younger brother."

Raiden's lack of pupils made tracking his gaze difficult, but Kuai Liang could tell he was looking him over. Even without this window into his soul, Kuai Liang noted a hint of recognition play across Raiden's face. This was to be expected, as Kuai Liang had styled his uniform after that of his brother. While there was a standardised look each member had to adhere to, there was a certain degree of leeway given to the top warriors of the clan, of which both brothers were a part. Alongside Sektor, Cyrax, Smoke and Hydro, the two brothers were given permission to customise their attire to stand out from the rest. This was, presumably, to turn them into icons as something for the rest of the clan to aspire to.

Bi-Han's attire had only recently changed from the clan's unaltered ninja-esque attire in blue, to include an armoured torso and a modified mask to allow his icy breath to escape unimpeded as an intimidation tactic. Kuai Liang's attire was largely the same as his brother's former style, but in a lighter shade of blue, much to Bi-Han's chagrin.

"I see," was the first thing the Thunder God said. "I sense a great power within you, equalling that of your brother's."

"I am undeserving of such praise," Kuai Liang said with a respectful bow."

"I sincerely hope that is not the case," the Thunder God replied. "Even with Earthrealm's victory at the tournament, we will be in need of such powerful warriors in the event of Outworld chicanery."

"Earthrealm won the tournament?" Kuai Liang repeated. "Then, my brother's mission was successful?"

Both the Grandmaster and the God shifted their weight uneasily. Even without uttering a word, the truth of their expression was clear. Bi-Han was dead.

Raiden reached for a pouch around his waist, extracting from it the mask of Sub-Zero. It was slightly singed, suggested a horrid end for its former bearer. Raiden presented it to Kuai Liang, who shakily took it from him and stared at it. He was hesitant to ask what exactly had become of his brother.

"Although he failed to assassinate Shang Tsung, Sub-Zero defeated a number of Outworld warriors at the tournament. It was in the closing hours of the tournament that Scorpion of the Shirai Ryu struck him down."

"Scorpion!? But... Bi-Han killed him two years ago."

"And he returned from the Netherrelam to claim his revenge. I am still unsure who provided him this opportunity, but I will be looking into it shortly. I wished to prioritise bringing news of Bi-Han's demise personally, in light of his actions two years ago. That, and the fact that I am the one who hired the Lin Kuei to assassinate Shang Tsung, placing Bi-Han's death on my hands. I am truly sorry, Kuai Liang."

Kuai Liang shook his head without taking his eyes off the mask he gripped tightly in his hands. "Bi-Han was Lin Kuei. He faced each mission knowing the dangers he faced. From lack of skill or an insurmountable threat, his death was his own to face, and he did so as Lin Kuei. No blame lies at your feet, Raiden."

Raiden lowered his head, masking his face. "Thank you, Kuai Liang. I'm afraid I must leave now. I have other matters to attend to in the wake of the tournament's aftermath."

"Of course, Lord Raiden," the Grandmaster replied with a respectful bow.

Raiden disappeared in a flash of lightning and the Grandmaster resumed his seating position atop his throne. Kuai Liang held up the mask to the dim candlelight. He was shaken by the news, yet had always known this would be an eventuality. Few of the Lin Kuei lived to see old age, after all. Not even the brothers' father.

Closing his eyes, he pulled the mask down over his head and fastened the mouthpiece over his face. It felt strange, yet oddly fitting, to be wearing his brother's mask. With a deep breath, exhaled though the mask and visible in the warm room, Kuai Liang took a knee once more and addressed the Grandmaster.

"Grandmaster, I humbly request that you give me the chance to do what my brother could not; to complete his mission of assassinating Shang Tsung."

Kuai Liang could feel the Grandmaster's gaze burning him as he looked over the young warrior. "Is this a request to restore the honour of the clan, or that of your brother?"

"Neither, Grandmaster. Bi-Han lived and died for the Lin Kuei. His death cost him no honour. I make this request so that I might complete his mission and restore honour to the title he carried to his grave."

The Grandmaster pondered this request for a few moments before deciding: "Very well. Raiden warned that Shao Kahn will likely not take his loss sitting down. Once I hear word of either his or Shang Tsung's movements, you will dispatch immediately. Until then, prepare yourself well for that task your brother could not complete. Be sure you are ready to bring honour to your clan and family... Sub-Zero."


	5. The Shadow's Descent

It was a strange thing to look into the mirror now and see a pair of blank, milky white eyes staring back. Had she not known better, she would think she was possessed by some ethereal entity. But Mileena did know better. She had seen such eyes on two individuals before: the Earthrealm spectre, Scorpion, and the recently resurrected bride of Shao Kahn, Queen Sindel. There was one detail that connected these two individuals; and that now connected Mileena to them as well.

The memory of those events were still fresh in Mileena's mind; as if they had only just transpired, despite having actually taken place some months ago. Mileena had been assigned to observe her sister- no, _'sister'_ , Kitana. During the unofficial Mortal Kombat tournament that had been held in Outworld in the wake of Earthrealm's victory in the official tournament, the Thunder God Raiden had secretly approached Kitana in Outworld's Living Forest, away from the prying eyes of her foster father. Mileena had observed from behind the nearby trees, the groaning faces masking any noise she might have made. Despite the noise, though, Raiden and Kitana's conversation had been clear as day.

Raiden asked Kitana how she was able to stand serving the man that had murdered her father and led her mother to suicide; who had conquered her realm and subjugated its people. Neither Kitana, nor Mileena, understood what this lunatic was babbling about, but as the conversation continued, something began to change within both 'sisters'. Kitana had always had a sense that something was not quite right with the life she led - she had confided as much to Mileena many times - and she was now beginning to gain clarity. Mileena, meanwhile, felt something else trigger within her: a part of herself that had been locked away, kept hidden from even herself as part of her father's long-term plans.

In that moment, the two twins realised the truths of their respective existences. Kitana, hesitantly, allowed Raiden to undo the magical brainwashing that had kept her true heritage from her for so many millennia. Mileena, similarly, felt the veil of lies that permeated her own mind lift, and her true nature came to light - she was not Kitana's twin sister, but an abomination created by Shang Tsung to observe, and eventually replace, Kitana. She was to become Kitana's perfect double, secret tarkatan teeth notwithstanding, and weed out any remaining Edenian loyalists that might be conspiring against their conqueror.

Mileena's true memories resurfaced as the result of one of numerous triggers Shao Kahn himself had implanted into her mind to account for numerous scenarios in which her true purpose would need to become known to her. Kitana's true memories resurfacing was one such trigger.

Something green and brown moved in Mileena's peripheral vision. She turned quickly, sai ready to strike, only to find that what she had thought at first to be some denizen of the forest, was actually the dark-skinned, green-clad Jade, Kitana's best friend a loyal bodyguard. Like Kitana, her memories had been rewritten to believe that she was an obedient servant of the Emperor and his family, and that Mileena truly was Kitana's twin sister.

Jade held up a hand, and raised a finger on her other hand up to her mask-covered lips. Still cautious, though perhaps overly so, Mileena remained on edge, even as she lowered her weapon and turned her attention back towards Kitana. Jade, it seemed, had also been observing Kitana, and was here to work out a plan of action with Mileena. Whether or not Jade had been programmed on a deeper level by Shang Tsung, Mileena had no idea. Perhaps she, too, had been given triggers to cause certain behaviours or actions under certain circumstances involving Kitana. Perhaps even the unwavering kindness she had always shown Mileena had been programmed into her by the sorcerer as well.

Regardless, she had not immediately attacked Mileena, as she surely would have if she had remembered the truth. Jade was as skilled a warrior as she had ever seen, so her assistance here would prove highly valuable, especially when faced with one as powerful as Raiden. Even outside of his assigned realm, a god was not one to be taken lightly. But if they could get the drop on him, Mileena was sure she and Jade could incapacitate him long enough to do the same to Kitana. Then, Mileena could take her back for reconditioning and return to her own ignorant fantasy.

But it was not to be.

After making a plan of action, Mileena move around behind Raiden while Jade moved to the other side of the clearing. Mileena was to move in as Jade attacked from the other side, drawing Kitana and Raiden's attention so Mileena could strike from behind. It was a simple plan, yes. Few would expect something so simple to work against a god, but even this plan could work in the face of overconfidence.

Jade made her move, unleashing a savage battle cry to get their attention. That was the signal. Mileena lunged down from the tree branch she had climbed up to, both sai extended out before her and poised to strike at the Thunder God's neck. Mileena's gaze was locked in on her target; so much so, that she failed to notice as a previously unseen assailant rocketed into the sky, letting out a sharp screech, and delivered a fierce kick to Mileena's jaw. The strike tore Mileena's mask open and sent her careening to the ground. She spun through the air like a top before landing in front of one of the trees, striking the back of her head on an exposed root.

She awoke some time after, her wrists and ankles bound by rope. Her landing had left her with a severe concussion. She was dazed and confused, struggling to either remember what had happened, or to even sit up properly.

An unfamiliar male voice was the first to notice Mileena's laboured movement. He drew attention towards their prisoner, leading to a high-heeled boot jabbing Mileena's chest and forcing her onto her back. The heel wasn't applied with enough pressure to break the skin, but it would surely leave a bruise, at the very least. Though her vision was somewhat cloudy and unfocused, Mileena was just about able to make out the figure of the one holding her down: her sister, Kitana. There were other figures surrounding them, but Mileena could barely make any of them out in the dark forest. Jade was nowhere to be seen, most likely having fled to inform the Emperor rather than risk this vital information being lost through their deaths.

Even with her hampered vision, the look on Kitana's face as she looked down on Mileena was... indescribable. The look of utter contempt in her eyes was agonising - far moreso than the heel digging into her flesh, or the throbbing migraine that kept her from thinking straight.

Kitana demanded to know what Mileena was. Not who; what. Mileena was confused by the question, as much as she was by the tone with which she was addressed. Mileena thought perhaps Kitana was testing her to make sure she wasn't a shape-shifter? Asking questions to see if she was the real Mileena? She answered that she was Kitana's sister, Mileena. Kitana dug her heel in deeper. She repeated her question, but the pain only made it harder for Mileena to understand what was being demanded of her.

She asked what Kitana meant, gasping for breath as her sister's heel dug further and further into her lung. She screamed that she was Kitana's sister, begged to know why she was doing this. Kitana heartlessly denounced Mileena as her sister, calling her 'an abomination of Shang Tsung's flesh pits'. Moving her calves under her thighs, Mileena forced herself up onto her knees, sending Kitana reeling in surprise. She recovered quickly, however, and stepped closer to Mileena, her razor-sharp fan unfolding in her grasp.

"Sister, please!" Mileena begged. "Please, don't do this, I'm begging you!" She continued to plead for Kitana to see reason, but her words bore no impact as Kitana held her fan to the side and fiercely swung it in an arc, slicing through the flesh of Mileena's throat and knocking her onto her side.

As Mileena lay dying, blood gurgling in her mouth and glinting off her exposed teeth, Mileena could only tearfully ask herself what she had done wrong. What had she done to disgust Kitana so? She loved Kitana, as any sister should, but Kitana returned only hatred. Mileena felt cold in both body and soul as her vision faded to black and her life came to an end.

* * *

That would have been the end of her story, had the Emperor himself not seen fit to have Mileena revived in preparation for his invasion of Earthrealm. Her time in the Netherrealm had been brief, and even now remained largely unremembered. But in that short time, Kitana had defected to Earthrealm and Outworld had lost once again. It had been the Shaolin monk, Liu Kang, that had emerged victorious, both on Shang Tsung's Island and in Outworld. It was said he carried the blood of Earth's last champion, Kung Lao, and Mileena could certainly believe it, if he had bested Shao Kahn himself.

Mileena had been understandably confused upon her revival, by a great many things. Why had she been brought back at all, after her failure to stop Kitana? What had become of Jade? How was the Emperor able to invade Earthrealm when he had lost both tournaments?

The answers, it turned out, were far more simple than she'd expected. Although Mileena had indeed failed to prevent Kitana from defecting to Earthrealm, she was still seen as a valuable asset by the Emperor, and could still be used to sow discord among Kitana's allies. Jade had indeed fled the scene upon witnessing the sudden ambush on Mileena, opting to inform her master of Kitana's betrayal, though Kitana's exact motivation seemed to remain unknown to her former friend. And as for the invasion: there was a certain loophole in the laws of Mortal Kombat that the Emperor had uncovered long ago. He had opted not to use it until now, preferring to remain patient and play by the rules so as not to incur the wrath of the Elder Gods. But the time for patience was over.

Ten thousand years ago, after Shao Kahn had conquered Edenia and merged it with Outworld, he had taken the now widowed Queen Sindel as his bride, and her daughter Kitana as his foster daughter. Not long after, the inescapable distress and the crushing depression finally became too much for Sindel to bare. She abandoned her people and her daughter to suffer under the Emperor's rule, throwing herself through the window of one of the palace's towers. Even now, Mileena was glad that Kitana had never had to suffer the sight of her mother's corpse impacting the ground hundreds of feet below.

But even death failed to provide the escape Sindel had longed for. Ever-plotting, the wise Emperor had anticipated that Sindel would eventually rebel against him or seek the sweet relief of death. Through sorcery, Sindel's husband had ensured that her soul would remain confined in Outworld until such a time that she was needed. As he had anticipated, that was now.

He had not, however, anticipated that she would not take Kitana with her in death, but both he and Mileena were thankful she hadn't. Kitana was still young then, her mind easily moulded by her 'father'. By the time she was old and wise enough to question the truths she had so hastily consumed in her youth, the Shadow Priests' research into mental manipulation magics had yielded a much more potent method of ensuring Kitana's continued loyalty.

All of this, Mileena had learned from Shang Tsung in the hundreds of long hours he had spent by her side in the Flesh Pits, carefully forging her in both body and mind to be ready to replace Kitana when the time came. It was a strange thing for Mileena to think back on how her emotional responses to Sindel's demise had shifted so frequently since then. Initially, she had had little to no response. Sindel was just a long-dead person, after all.

As more and more of Kitana's memories were infused into her mind, Mileena began to grow sentimental, even breaking down in tears on more than one occasion over the loss of her 'mother'. As she began to develop more of her own sense of self, these feelings had diminished until her emotions swung in the opposite direction: leaving her cackling madly at the foolishness of the Empress, believing there was anything within her feeble power that could release her from Shao Kahn's grasp. And as Shang Tsung had begun to put the finishing touches on Mileena, preparing her for her first meeting with her 'father', Mileena had begun to feel strangely content with Sindel's fate: she had abandoned her people due to her own selfish desire for escape. And she now suffered for it.

Or, she had done, until now. Shao Kahn could not travel to other realms without earning that right through ten straight victories in Mortal Kombat. However, it was still entirely possible for his agents to travel between the realms; as well as his enemies. If, for example, his enemies were to enter his domain and abscond with his wife or his daughter, it would be unjust for the Elder gods to refuse the Emperor the right to pursue the abductors and dispense justice. Thus, if he were to discover that his Empress' soul had been transported to Earthrealm and a dark ritual been performed to restore her to life there, then surely, the obvious assumption was that the Emperor's enemies were plotting to use his wife against him as a hostage, or an enemy. It was through this rationalisation that Shao Kahn had the means to achieve what his followers had so many time failed to accomplish.

Mileena had awoken on a slab - cold and hard against the bare flesh of her back. As if she had been transported back in time to before she had first been presented to the Emperor, Shang Tsung stood over her. He reached out, pressing down against her flesh in various places, turning her arms and legs over for inspection, inspecting every inch of her body for any imperfections. It was highly likely that the sorcerer knew Mileena's body far more intimately than even she herself did. Mileena had always suspected that Shang Tsung harboured some hidden desire for Kitana, though that had never particularly bothered Mileena, even now as he pressed down on the flesh of her bare breast . To her, it simply meant that she was the perfect double for her 'sister', masterfully crafted so she could better serve her master.

Until Shang Tsung ran a finger over Mileena's throat, she had almost forgotten that she had been brutally cut down by her 'sister'. Her creator moved his hand away quickly as her own hands shot up to cover the once afflicted area. She almost thought being cut down like a dog by her own sister was nothing more than a horrible dream, as there was no remnant of damage to be found; no scar, not even a slight difference in texture. Tears formed in Mileena's eyes, though the exact reason why eluded her. Shang Tsung seemed to notice, but if he did, he said nothing of it; simply continued his inspection.

Once the inspection was complete, the sorcerer had taken Mileena's hand and helped her down from the slab, supporting her body on her still wobbly legs. She didn't know how long her body had gone without use, or even if this was still the same body as the one she'd died in. Either way, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was learning the outcome of the tournament and the fate of Kitana. The honour of informing her, though, was reserved for the Emperor himself - a suggestion from Shang Tsung to allow him to vent his frustrations, apparently.

Once she was clothed in a new outfit - still in her preferred purple, but displaying much more cleavage than the last one - Mileena was presented to the Emperor. It was just like when she was first brought before her 'father', what seemed like a lifetime ago. By the time her déjà vu subsided, Mileena had been seated in a small chair before the Emperor's throne, and Shang Tsung had departed to travel to Earthrealm.

Shao Kahn seemed oddly healthier by the time he finished catching Mileena up than he had when she had arrived. She supposed it really was a good idea to let him vent like this. Now that shea knew the scheme that was now in play, one thing became clear to Mileena, even without either Shao Kahn or Shang Tsung telling her as much: her resurrection had been a practice run for the resurrection of Sindel. She was sure she would be given an important task, which she would dutifully fulfil, but that was simply a fortunate possibility thanks to her revival being a success. Otherwise, she was sure someone else would have been assigned those very tasks. Probably Jade. She couldn't help but feel a certain sense of melancholy, but she didn't particularly mind. She was alive again, and she had an opportunity to both continue serving her Emperor, and to hunt down her treacherous 'sister'.

* * *

And now here she was, staring into the milky white eyes that stared back from beyond the confines of the mirror in what was once her and Kitana's bed chamber. The room, once cleanly divided into Kitana's belongings and Mileena's, was now cleanly divided into Mileena's belongings and a ravaged mess. To anyone else, it would appear that some sort of vicious altercation had taken place recently, but to those who understood Mileena at all, it was clear why the room had become like this.

Mileena pulled her mask up over her mouth and continued to stare. It really was impressive just how perfectly - tarkatan jaw notwithstanding - Shang Tsung had captured Kitana's likeness. Mileena was happy with Kitana being the one whose face she wore, as she was unquestionably an incredibly beautiful woman, so losing Kitana's brown eyes was quite the blow to Mileena. But she could make herself and Kitana twins again.

She held her sai up against the mirror, over her reflection's covered mouth. She slowly twisted the sai as she dug it deeper into the glass. She scraped the jagged point away from the mouth, along the cheek until she reached her ear. She then did the same to the other side, savouring every second, imagining blood spilling out from the fresh wounds as Kitana screamed and begged for Mileena to stop, begged for the mercy she had so callously refused to show as she'd sliced her own sister's throat open and Mileena would do the same to her slice open her throat with her sai fix her with the same look of disgust and contempt she had seen as she died leaving that as Kitana's last remaining memory before she lunged on her sister tearing open her throat with her teeth drinking her blood consuming her beauty for herself and truly becoming kitana the kitana shao kahn had always wanted it was her destiny her purpose her sole reason for being restored to life revenge revenge vengeance murder blood satisfaction pleasuremurder killkill flesh taste

Knock knock.

The wooden impact audible from behind the door awoke Mileena from her blood-crazed trance. It took her a few moments to take in what she was doing. She was panting heavily, having just stabbed her reflection's face too many times to possibly count. Her reflection barely even existed anymore, with all the cracks and missing pieces. There was some red on one of the shards that it took her a moment to realise was reflected from her cheek. She reached up and found that she had somehow splattered herself with blood there. She looked over her hands and found that there was now a small hole from her palm to the back, through which she could see clearly. She wasn't sure when or how she had managed this, nor why it didn't seem to hurt beyond a mildly irritating sting.

She staggered back, almost fell, as her brain raced to try and understand what had just happened to her. If this was an effect of the resurrection, of her tarkatan blood or simply some sort of mental breakdown, she couldn't rightly say. She staggered over towards the bed, burning lightheadedness and blurry vision taking hold as she stumbled drunkenly, finally finding the bed as she tripped over her own feet and landed face first on the mattress.

The bed was rougher than she'd expected, but it was better than remaining standing. Her breath was ragged, picking up its pace. She rolled over onto her back to allow herself access to more air. She felt sick, like she might throw up and pass out or pass out and throw up. What would even come up if she did throw up? _Could_ she even throw up? Was that biologically possible for her? Just how perfect a recreation of human physiology had Shang Tsung created here? Her arm was resting on her forehead to help numb the pain, but it didn't help much.

The knocking came again and she opened her mouth to reply. She wasn't quite sure if she'd actually made any noise, but the door opened, regardless. It was some unremarkable slave girl, informing her that she was to report to the Emperor for her next assignment. Mileena groaned out an acknowledgement and waved the slave girl off.

As much as she wanted to simply lie here until she was better, Mileena knew that refusing the Emperor's summons would bring an abrupt end to her second chance at life. Feeling like a ragdoll, Mileena forced herself to sit up and push herself to the edge of the bed, where she sat for a few moments. As she opened her eyes, she realised why the bed was so rough: all this time, it had been Kitana's ravaged bed she had collapsed onto, not her own pristine one.

As she looked over the room from her new perspective - the room's upper half perfect and beautiful and the lower half ravaged and disfigured, she couldn't help but let out a mad cackle that echoed through the halls of the Emperor's palace.

* * *

It was upon entering the throneroom (or rather, staggering into it) that Mileena, for the first time ever, laid eyes upon Queen Sindel. She recognised her from Kitana's memories, could probably have even drawn her perfectly from memory before now. But Mileena's birth had come millennia after her 'mother's' death. Even so, it was uncanny to see the Empress with the same blank eyes that, not twenty minutes ago, had been staring back at Mileena from her own reflection. But it was just as bizarre to see her sitting so comfortably in her own throne beside her husband. Truly, Shang Tsung's sorcery was a thing of wonder.

Both Shao Kahn and Sindel observed Mileena's entrance, neither seeming to be able to take their eyes off of her. The Emperor seemed far more displeased than his wife, if the scowl he wore so fiercely and the bemused smirk playing across her black lips were any indication. While she had tried not to let her sudden illness show, Mileena couldn't help but clutch her head as she approached. She took a knee before her masters, but even this was a struggle.

"What is _wrong_ with you!?" Shao Kahn demanded impatiently as he stood, his naturally intimidating stature made all the more monstrous by Mileena's low stance and ever-blurring vision.

Shang Tsung appeared from somewhere to Mileena's right. She wasn't sure if he'd been there the entire time or if he'd only arrived just now. The sorcerer crouched down beside his creation and began inspecting her face. After checking her eyes and her temperature, he announced his conclusion.

"She appears to be ill, Emperor. A side-effect of her resurrection, perhaps."

Shao Kahn turned his head towards Sindel, seemingly contemplating. As he was about to speak, to presumably give Mileena her orders anyway, Sindel spoke up.

"Let the girl rest, Husband," she said to the surprise of all present. "Jade knows Kitana just as well as Mileena, and may yet hold her trust. Send her instead and allow Mileena time to recover until the time to strike arrives."

The Emperor, no mere brutish thug, considered his wife's counsel a moment. Slowly, he nodded his head in agreement. "Very well. But I leave her care to you. I have more pressing matters to attend to than babysitting." The annoyance was there, clear in his voice, but he _had_ agreed nonetheless. Mileena was to be held in reserve, while Jade worked on the plot to eliminate Kitana.

Once the Emperor had issued his orders to those in attendance, he departed to inspect Motaro's centaur army. Mileena, struggling to stand, moved to leave.

"Hold, child." By now, aside from the mandatory guards, only Sindel and Mileena remained in the throneroom. "Come closer," Sindel beckoned from her throne.

Uneasily, Mileena did as she was asked, staggering, hunched and pretty damn sure she was going to pass out any second now. She practically collapsed at Sindel's feet, resigning herself to whatever admonishment or punishment the Empress saw fit for her insolence. She didn't care as long as she could finally get some rest.

Sindel lowered a hand to help Mileena raise herself up enough to look up into her queen's white eyes with her own identical gaze. Sindel extended her other hand and gently caressed Mileena's cheek, freezing her daughter's clone on the spot. Mileena's breath caught in her throat, her mind focused and barely even registering the sickly feeling that had dominated her body and thoughts for the last twenty minutes. Sindel then leaned in and planted a quick, warm kiss on Mileena's forehead.

Not only that, but she was smiling! It was a strangely familiar smile; one from Kitana's memories, ten thousand years old and buried deep until this very instant. It was a strange sensation for Mileena: a bizarre concoction of emotions that threatened to burst open her chest like a grapefruit.

"Shang Tsung truly is a miracle-worker," Sindel mused, brushing strands of raven hair out of Mileena's eyes. "To not only restore life, but to create it wholesale..." Seemingly lost in thought, Sindel gently pulled Mileena closer, resting the assassin's head on her lap.

"M-My Queen...!" Mileena stuttered, mind growing more confused by the second.

"Hush now," Sindel cooed. "I know from experience that returning to life isn't as simple as awakening from a deep sleep. I understand the confusion and the unease of returning to a life that is nothing like how it was when you left it. Even now, bound to Shao Kahn's will as I am, I still remember my old life and can clearly appreciate the jarring juxtaposition in which my former and present self reside, and yet I feel no loss of self, as one might expect. Nor do I feel concern over this. This spiralling sensation will pass in time, as it did for me. For now, rest here and let your mother see you through it."

Mileena's eyes widened at the suggestion that Sindel saw her daughter's clone as as much her daughter as the real deal. It was yet another simultaneously alien and familiar sensation that threatened to throw her current state of mind into further turmoil. Eyes welling up, Mileena managed to croak out Kitana's name, to which Sindel's response stunned her.

"Kitana," Sindel repeated with as much disdain as Kitana herself had most recently spoken to Mileena. Even with no defining features remaining in them, Mileena was absolutely sure Sindel had rolled her eyes at the mention of her true daughter's name. "That girl is no more my daughter than she is Shao Kahn's. She had a chance to serve the Emperor as his dutiful family, but she foolishly threw it all away. As did I, once upon a time. But I have seen the error of my ways now - Shao Kahn has shown me the light and I am now his, mind, body and soul. If that child refuses her rightful place in the universe, then she no longer deserves to exist within any realm that will inevitably become a part of His empire."

Mileena remained silent throughout all this, petrified by the prospect that Sindel's scarily unnatural hatred of her own flesh and blood might carry over to the genetic replica of that flesh and blood. However, this proved unnecessary, as Sindel seemed almost to be able to read Mileena's thoughts with perfect clarity.

"You needn't worry, my dear," she chuckled, her voice now a soothing, calming tone under whose power Mileena couldn't help but relax. "You have continued to serve faithfully, even after death. Your loyalty is unquestionable, and will be rewarded appropriately once the traitor is eliminated. But enough talk of duty and loyalty. What matters most is that you, my one true daughter, recover your strength. Rest now, Mileena. Rest and allow your mother to make you feel better."

Mileena's eyes were overflowing now, unable to hold it back. Sindel didn't seem to mind, however, even as her knees grew increasingly damp from her daughter's tears. Mileena closed her eyes and allowed Sindel's stroking of her hair and her gentle humming to lull her into a deep sleep. Until she awoke, fully recovered and ready to serve, she dreamed a long dream of a thousand different ways her confrontation with her 'sister' would play out, and make her mother proud.

* * *

 _The main goals for this chapter were:  
•To explore Mileena's state of mind through her death at Kitana's hand in MKII, and her resurrection prior to MK3.  
•To explore her relationship with Sindel and how they two might complete each other in the wake of Kitana's departure._

 _Mileena is such a fascinating character with so much potential (all of which is wasted by the games), so I'll be discussing some of these ideas and more in a future video series I'm planning._


	6. The Kindred Souls

It was a frustrating thing for Empress Sindel, former Queen of Edenia, to sleep after her millennia of death. Although, it was not because she was tired of rest and desired to live as much as possible. Rather, it was the bizarre feeling of dread with which she awoke each morning in the pit of her stomach. She assumed, at first, that she was simply ill - some unexpected, but not unheard of, side effect of the resurrection ritual. However, as she continued to feel this way every morning, as the days turned into weeks, she eventually summoned Shang Tsung, the one responsible for her revival, to meet with her in her chamber.

Despite being the Emperor's legal wife, Sindel did not share a room with her husband. Occasionally, they would meet to relieve his pent-up desires, but for the most part, he felt nothing for her, and she knew it. And she accepted it, as she had been programmed to upon her revival. To her, serving the Emperor's needs came before all else. Her own desires toward him, both emotional and physical, were his to respond to; not hers to indulge. Such was her purpose as the key to Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm.

The sorcerer brought Ermac along with him, the red-clad amalgamation of lost souls bowing deeply as he entered, even before Shang Tsung himself did. There was something about Ermac that Sindel had been unable to place; something inherently trustworthy and comforting about his presence. Perhaps it was his naturally ingrained loyalty and obedience towards Shao Kahn, her Lord-Husband. Or perhaps it was because anyone would seem trustworthy when standing alongside Shang Tsung.

Shang Tsung was a schemer. This was hardly a secret. There were rumours that he originated in Earthrealm before swearing his loyalty to Shao Kahn; a calculated move to gain himself power and eternal life. While the Emperor had not yet indulged his history with Shang Tsung beyond the latter's loss to Kung Lao nearly a millennium ago, Sindel was acutely aware that her husband placed no trust in Shang Tsung beyond trusting that he would continue to serve faithfully and competently to gain favour until his time came. So long as there were no Shaolin monks involved, anyway.

Once the sorcerer had delivered his customary bow to his Empress, she cut right to the chase. She explained the discomforting sensation in detail so as to give him as firm an understanding of her dilemma as possible. He stood before her, pondering. This seemed genuine enough, though Sindel had instructed Mileena and Jade to wait in the shadows, just in case. After a few moments, he finally spoke up.

"Tell me, my Empress, have you been able to recall your dreams of late?"

While his choice of words (phrased as a command first and foremost) agitated Sindel, she knew that he had done so deliberately. Instead of confronting him, she instead chose to feign ignorance of his mind games and continue on, maintaining the facade that he actually stood a chance of getting one over on her.

"No," she said simply. "I have not."

"I suspect this feeling is a result of your... 'true self' attempting to break free of the magic that binds you to our beloved Emperor. She dreads your return to consciousness and her return to oblivion. Presumably, it is this dread you are feeling as a lingering remnant of your nightmares. If left untreated, she may yet break free and thwart the Emperor's invasion plan."

"This cannot be allowed to happen, Shang Tsung," Sindel replied dutifully. Ermac shifted his weight behind Shang Tsung. "Do what you must to put an end to this."

Shang Tsung's smile broadened wider than she had yet seen. "As you wish, my Empress. Ermac!"

The ninja stepped forward at the utterance of his name.

"Please, lie down on your bed, Empress. I will enter your mind to suppress your inner dissenter. It will not be a pleasant, unfortunately, which is why Ermac will keep you restrained with his telekinesis for the duration. Have you any objections to this plan?"

Sindel flattened out the mattress at the foot of the bed and rested her head there, her buttock-length hair trailing down onto the floor below. "I feel I should," she replied thoughtfully. "But I do not." Her tone was resolute, which threatened to make Shang Tsung's smirk widen beyond the reaches of his sinister face.

Shang Tsung positioned himself above Sindel, a hand at each side of her had, around two inches away from her flesh. He turned and nodded to Ermac, who reached out with his innate psychic power, gently caressing Sindel's arms as he kept them pinned to her sides. Sindel closed her milky-white eyes as a bizarrely gratifying sensation overtook her, making her shiver slightly.

Shang Tsung seemed oblivious to this effect, as he began pushing through her mental defences to peer into her mind. As if he were literally pushing aside the grey matter of her brain, Sindel was soon consumed by excruciating agony, drowning in suffering as her screams echoed throughout the chamber.

Responding quickly, Mileena and Jade emerged from behind a pillar to put a stop to this perceived treachery. However, both assassins found themselves frozen on the spot as Ermac turned back towards them and held out a hand. At first, they believed he was using his telekinesis to render them immobile, but soon realised that their autonomy remained intact. It was his gaze that held them in place. Something bizarrely commanding, familiar on an almost primal level, that neither of them could resist, even as he turned back to focus his attention on Sindel.

The duo stood impotently, watching for what felt like hours, as Shang Tsung trolled through their Empress' mind for the rebellious element within her subconscious and utilised his arcane powers to suppress it until Sindel's devotion to Shao Kahn was assured. The incident proved too much for Sindel, who was rendered unconscious, but otherwise unharmed (beyond the suppression of her true personality).

Once the deed was done, Shang Tsung departed to continue his work elsewhere, while Ermac re-positioned Sindel on her bed, removing her boots and covering her in her blindingly white blanket. Mileena and Jade, meanwhile, stayed with Sindel until Ermac spoke up.

"You two should leave." Before either of the two could protest, he elaborated. "There is nothing either one of you can do here to ease your Empress' suffering. If you wish to be of use to her, the only thing within your power right now is to bring Princess Kitana back. Do you understand?"

Again, both felt strangely compelled to trust Ermac's words; Mileena, especially, as her whole body stiffened as if she were a soldier being addressed by her commanding officer. "Yes, Fa- Sir." Jade eyed Mileena suspiciously, but said nothing of it. Neither one could explain it, but they both knew that Ermac was right. As such, they nodded and departed, hoping some time away might help them understand.

Ermac stood over Sindel, staring down at the agonised expression that twisted her beautiful features. Before he even realised what he was doing, he reached out a hand and gently placed it against Sindel's cheek. Her entire body stiffened up, as if his touch was ice cold. But then, her own hands emerged from beneath the covers, taking hold of his and squeezing tight as her expression softened into a content smile.

Ermac pondered the meaning of this effect he seemed to have on Sindel, as well as that which she had on him. He felt an odd sensation deep within the core of his being. It seemed... almost like the sensation Sindel herself had described to Shang Tsung; as if something deep inside of him was desperately clawing to escape, to be heard over the thousands of voices that comprised the amalgamation's being. It was a voice of authority, he could tell, but it was not a voice he could distinguish, despite it being a part of himself.

He pulled up a chair with his powers and sat down beside Sindel. There was something oddly comforting about being here like this. It was as if being in her presence somehow brought calm to the ever-raging storm of souls within. The mystery voice, the one that had been rising up above the others, now had some footing in Ermac's mind. While he still couldn't recognise the voice, he could hear the words clearly.

"Sindel," it said with Ermac's mouth, though the makeup of his voice was different, a more regal, commanding voice risen to the top, standing out prominently, as if the other voices were subdued into near silence. "My dear, beloved queen," it again spoke. And then, for reasons that Ermac was sure he would never truly understand, he leaned over Sindel's sleeping features, lowered his mask with his free hand, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

As Ermac regained control of himself, he quickly retreated to his chair, only kept from fleeing further by the iron grip Sindel maintained on his captive hand. He suspected, at first, that this might be the work of Shang Tsung; some sort of trick to interfere with his equilibrium. But somehow, he could sense that it was something deeper, more spiritual than magical. Whatever it was that had spawned this sudden rush of feelings was now quelled, the torrent of voices raging once again.

* * *

Sindel awoke some time later. Her hands felt strangely empty, as if they had been gripping something for a long time before it had disappeared suddenly. Perhaps it was another lingering sentiment from the Sindel that had lost her husband and daughter. It seemed she might need more sessions with Shang Tsung.

She opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. She stretched her strangely tired arms and took in her surroundings. She didn't remember passing out under the blankets, nor removing her boots, but she supposed the still present Ermac was responsible for her comfort.

"Thank you, Ermac," she said with a smile. A smile she found herself quickly retracting, as it was usually reserved only for Shao Kahn and Mileena - her husband and daughter.

"Your thanks are appreciated, but unneeded, Empress," the ninja replied with a bow. "We exist to serve."

Sindel paused at this statement. Something about it struck a chord with her. It went deeper than the fact that both had been magically conjured for the same singular purpose. She felt like, perhaps more than anyone, Ermac understood her, and she him.

"No, Ermac," she said, shaking her head. "You are no mere servant. You are special."

"Special?" he parroted, as unsure of her meaning as she was.

"I feel a certain... a certain sense of kindredness with you, Ermac. As I do with Mileena."

"We three are homunculi, given false life by Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung. In light of such a fact, such feelings are... only natural."

Sindel could sense that Ermac wasn't being entirely honest about how he felt, but then, with how many souls comprised his being, it only made sense that even he would be unsure of how he truly felt on any given subject, outside of his loyalty to his master. In fact, Ermac was most likely primarily made up of the souls of Edenians, a people who were so far beneath Shao Kahn, that he barely recognised their existence. This could explain the sense of familiarity she felt with him.

"Now that you are awake, we will take our leave," Ermac said with a bow, before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Sindel called out, notably louder than she had intended. Ermac stopped dead in his tracks and turned back, awaiting an explanation. Sindel straightened herself up and cleared her throat before she spoke again. "I mean, please, Ermac. I wish for you to stay by my side for a while. I feel- I _would_ feel more comfortable with you nearby."

A certain recognition played across what little of Ermac's face could be seen beneath his ninja-like mask. He seemed like he understood her intent, though that was probably just wishful thinking on her part.

"If that is your wish, Empress," he replied, taking a knee, "we will obey."

Sindel held up a hand over her face to mask her smile.

* * *

Sindel sauntered through the halls of Shao Kahn's palace, which now rested in the centre of Earthrealm's New York City. Ermac marched in lock step a few paces behind her. As they approached one of the connecting hallways, they encountered the unmistakable figure of the sole female Shokan in the Emperor's employ. She turned towards them, clasping her lower hands together and extending out her upper arms outwards above her head as she bowed - the customary Shokan greeting for one's monarch.

"Hail, Empress," Sheeva greeted courteously.

"Sheeva," Sindel said simply with a nod as she came to a stop.

As Sheeva straightened up, standing head-and-shoulders above the other two, her eyes narrowed on Ermac. There was something about the way she looked at him that made him feel oddly defensive. Sindel seemed to pick up on this too, as she smirked.

"Oh, leave him be, Sheeva," she said dismissively. "Ermac has agreed to accompany me for a time. You may go and... do whatever it is you Shokan do when not killing things."

Sheeva seemed taken aback by Sindel's attitude, but pressed on. "With all due respect, Your Highness, the Emperor himself assigned me to-"

"Be my bodyguard, yes, I'm well aware," Sindel interrupted with a dismissive hand wave. "But being my bodyguard makes you my servant, meaning you must obey my commands as you would the Emperor's. And obey you shall. Now leave us."

Sheeva shook with frustration, but accepted Sindel's command and bowed, turned and left. As Sindel carried on along her own path, Ermac spoke up.

"Empress, if we may, we would like to quickly speak with Sheeva."

Sindel turned back, one eyebrow cocked in surprised, but it quickly gave way for a knowing grin. "I see. Very well, but make it quick. I have places to be and I have no intention of going there alone." Unsure of what Sindel believed he intended, Ermac bowed and quickly pursued the Shokan general, standing before her and forcing her to stop.

"What do you want?" she demanded. "The Empress made it quite clear that-"

"We understand how you feel about your current station," Ermac interrupted.

"Really?" Sheeva responded, her tone making her disbelief clear.

"Truly. We understand the frustration of having one's people subjugated and demeaned by Shao Kahn. To desire nothing more than to break free of the bonds of servitude."

"Really?" she said again, this time sounding like she might actually be starting to believe him.

"Although we are bound to the will of Shao Kahn, the thousands of Edenian souls within us never cease to make their feelings known. Although not in the same manner, both peoples - Edenian and Shoakn - are mere slaves before the might of the Emperor. Worse still now that two of your kin have failed the Emperor, placing your people below the hated Centaurs in his eyes. However, despite this state of affairs, you have proven your loyalty time and again. While she may not outwardly display it, the Empress is truly grateful to you for your loyal service."

"I... see..." Now, she seemed more open to accepting Ermac's claims. This was his chance.

"The Empress has merely been feeling uneasy of late. She feels familiarity with the Edenian souls within us. They comfort her. This is why we are with her now, in your place. The position will be yours once her mind is at ease once more."

"I see," Sheeva repeated, displaying more confidence this time. "Thank you for explaining this to me, Ermac. Promise you will keep her safe."

Ermac bowed and agreed. He could sense there was more to Sheeva's attitude than a mere sense of duty. And it was something he could use. As Sheeva turned to leave, he spoke again.

"She _has_ voiced concern, however, over some of the Emperor's other allies."

Sheeva turned back, doing her best to hide her concern behind a stern expression. "Over whom?"

"You know the one," he replied knowingly.

"The Earthrealmer," she spat

"Indeed. He is a mercenary, motivated only by profit. Word has reached us that another of his clan is among the rebels serving under Raiden. Those motivated by fickle desires serve only to pose a threat to the Emperor... and his Empress."

This seemed to get Sheeva's attention. On the surface, Ermac was suggesting that Kano might simply switch sides to Earthrealm, and act as a spy or assassin within the palace, striking down Shao Kahn and Sindel in his home realm's name. But the true implication beneath that was that Kano could be bought out by anyone who was willing to pay enough to outbid his current employer. Anyone with a grievance could hire him to secretly perform any dirty task they required, from theft to assassination. Someone like Sheeva.

"I... I will keep an eye on him. For the Empress' sake."

"We thank you, Sheeva," Ermac responded, using her name for the first time to suggest a bond of trust. "We will return to the Empress' side now."

Sheeva simply nodded before turning once more and walking in a different direction than her previous destination. She seemed to have understood his implication, though not necessarily that he had intended it. Regardless, the seed was sown. Given time, it would blossom into a lovely chaotic incident that would shake up the status quo significantly. And as Ermac had not directly suggested how he intended for Sheeva to respond, there would be no fallout aimed his way. Regardless of the outcome, Ermac's plan could only yield positive results.

Whatever it was within him that compelled him to protect Sindel, it marked the first decision he had yet made in his life; and for the first time, every soul that comprised him spoke out in agreement. Ermac would see that no harm came to Sindel. His Empress. His Queen.

* * *

 _My only real goal this time was to explore the relationship between Sindel and Ermac, two characters with a number of story parallels, and an unknown (to them) spiritual connection._

 _And yes, Ermac will also be getting his own episode of Wasted Plotential._


	7. The Champion's Curse

"I so wish you did not have to go," the old woman said to the twenty-something-year-old man as he tightened his red headband.

"As do I, Meixiu," he replied as he turned back to face her. "But, unfortunately, I must. It is my duty."

"I know," Meixiu sighed. "But, I have always feared that you will face a foe unlike any ever seen in Earthrealm. And that you will not return to me."

He smiled and lifted her chin with his finger. "Once was a time when your greatest fear was that it was _you_ who would be the one to leave _me_ alone."

"If you emerge victorious again, then I will be."

"But if I lose, we will be together again before too long." Despite the morbidity of the thought, Meixiu couldn't help but smile a little.

"I just cannot shake this feeling that the sorcerer will have found some new source of power to tip the scales in his favour."

"There is no doubt in my mind that he has not spent the last fifty years sitting idly by for his chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his emperor. Perhaps I will overcome him; perhaps not. At the very least, through my death, the next generation might find inspiration, or the key to defeating this potential new power."

Meixiu shook her head. "Why must you _always_ think of the bigger picture? Can you not think for once of how your death would affect your children?"

He held out a hand, which she reluctantly took, and pulled her in close. "Meixiu. When I was preparing for the last tournament, it was not the high likelihood of death that gnawed away at my mind. It was the knowledge that the immortality bestowed upon the champion by the Elder Gods would mean I would outlive all of my loved ones and die alone. My confidence in my own abilities was hampered by this undeniable fact. But then, on the night before I departed, you appeared before me. You told me that you loved me, had always loved me, ever since we were children."

"I worried that I would never have another chance to tell you," Meixiu explained, a dreamlike expression playing across her features. "And then you promised we would marry upon your return."

"And I promised that I would always love you. And I will never break that promise." He leaned in and kissed his wife. "Never."

"You are just as handsome as the day we were wed."

"And like a fine wine, you have only grown more beautiful with age. Whatever the outcome, our time apart will be nothing in the face of the eternity we will share together afterward. I love you, Kung Meixiu."

"And I you, Kung Lao."

* * *

"Who is that, Cousin Lao?" the young boy asked, pointing up towards the centuries old family portrait that hung on the wall of the Kung Family's ancestral home, standing twice as tall as he was.

"That is our ancestor, Jin," his older companion explained. "The Great Kung Lao."

"Wooow..." the four year old responded in awe. "I didn't know he had no hair!"

"Heh. It's tradition among the Shaolin."

"But you and Cousin Kang aren't bald."

"No. He and I are members of the White Lotus Society. Certain Shaolin traditions are relaxed to allow us to focus more on kombat training."

"Are you going to compete in the tournament?" Jin asked, excitedly.

"...Perhaps. Master Bo' Rai Cho says our cousin and I are his star pupils, and one of use is _expected_ to compete, based on our lineage."

"So, you're going to save Earthrealm from Shang Tsung? You're going to defeat Goro?"

"...Yes, Jin." Lao replied uneasily. "Yes, we are."

"Are you going to wear our ancestor's ceremonial hat when you do it?"

"If I am chosen to compete, yes. If Kang is chosen, he will likely stick to his martial arts and dragon fire."

"Who are those two with Kung Lao?" The boy was pointing up towards the man and the woman flanking their ancestor. While he appeared to be in his twenties, his companions appeared at least twice that. "Are those his parents?"

"No, Jin, those are Kung Zian and Kung Xiaohui, Kung Lao's son and daughter."

Jin looked up at Lao, incredulous. "But they're so much older than he is."

"That is because the champion of Mortal Kombat does not age until the next tournament - a gift bestowed by the Elder Gods themselves - lest Earthrealm's champions be forced to defend their title with the body of a seventy-year-old or older."

"Wow. Did he outlive his children?"

"Not quite. Kung Lao was killed by Prince Goro of the Shokan in his second tournament, fifty years after his victory. This portrait was taken mere days before Kung Lao departed towards his death. His wife, Kung Meixiu, fell into a deep depression upon hearing the news, and died soon after. Kung Xiaohui departed the region with her husband and disappeared from historical records. Kung Zian took command of the White Lotus to train the next generation of warriors. His grandson, Kung Chao, began the tradition of one of Kung Lao's descendants competing in each tournament."

"Goro must be pretty strong to be able to beat Kung Lao, huh?"

"Yes. It is said the Shokan possess the strength of ten men; and those of the royal bloodline more than that. An exaggeration, no doubt, but I believe the claim that Kung Lao's death was quick, at least."

This wasn't entirely true. While there was no doubt Goro _could_ kill any man painlessly if he desired, the Prince was also very prideful and very confident in his abilities. So much so, that he had eventually taken to giving himself various handicaps to make his battles more entertaining, for himself moreso than the crowds.

"But none of our line have been able to defeat Goro yet? And if Goro wins again, Earthrealm will be invaded by Outworld?"

Lao lowered himself to one knee and placed a hand on the boy's head. "Yes. But our cousin and I will make sure that doesn't happen. Goro will feel the vengeance of the Kung lineage. Kung Lao, Kung Chao, Kung Chen, Kung Jian, Kung Delun, Kung Lei, Kung Xifeng, Kung Ping, and Grandfather Kung Xiaosi will all be avenged this time."

The look of hope and joy in the boy's eyes reinvigorated Lao's determination, driving him to push himself harder in preparation for the tournament that would determine the fate of Earthrealm. Had Jin been born fifteen years earlier, no doubt, Kung Nianzu would have impressed as much a sense of duty and responsibility to compete on his bother's son as he did his own, which made Lao grateful that this was not the case.

"Cousin Kang is also descended from Kung Lao, right?" the boy asked.

"Yes. Grandfather Xiaosi's sister, Qiuyue, married Liu Longwei. Their son, Liu Lee, and his wife, Liu Lin, produced Liu Kang and Liu Chow."

"Cousin Kang has a brother?"

"He does, though his whereabouts are unknown. He disappeared some time following his parents' deaths, before you were born. Even Lord Raiden doesn't know where he is."

"Is he a good fighter?"

"Somewhat. He pales in comparison to his brother, however. I sometimes wonder if that sense of inferiority is why he left."

Jin remained silent for a moment, thoughtfully. After a while, he asked another question. "Cousin Lao? If Kung Lao was Shaolin, then how did he have children? I thought Shaolin were supposed to be celibate."

"Oh. Yes, well, after his victory, exceptions were allowed for certain traditions, similarly to the traditions regarding hair. Marriage and reproduction are allowed to our line in the hopes that our genes may hold the key to defending Earthrealm."

"So, if the rules are waived for those training for the tournament, if I join the Shaolin, I'd have to be bald too?"

Lao chuckled. "That's right, Jin. You won't be competing in a tournament, though your son some day might."

"I don't want to be bald," Jin replied, placing both hands down firmly on the top of his head. "I like my hair."

Lao shook his head with a smile. 'Better to lose your hair than your life,' he thought, placing his hand on Jin's head and ruffling his hair.

"Come, Jin. Master Bo' Rai Cho will be teaching a class soon. I will ask if he will allow you to take part."

The boy's eyes lit up like lanterns at this. "Really!? Cousin Lao, you're the best!" He hugged his cousin around the waist.

"And afterwards, I will teach you how to properly hold a bow."

"You know how to wield a bow, Cousin Lao?"

"I do. While I don't wield one myself, it is a strong foundation for any ranged kombat style."

Jin looked up, confused. "But you don't wield a..." He trailed off as Lao ran his hand along the razor-sharp rim of his hat, with a wink and a knowing smile. "Whoa..."

Lao took his young cousin by the hand and led him out of the room, sparing one last glance back toward the portrait of Kung Lao, the one who had started it all. He would be the one to avenge his ancestors and save Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's evil. Even the prodigy, Liu Kang, would not stand in his way.

* * *

I made this one because I wanted to flesh out my ideas for the history of the Kung family, and find the unaging aspect of the MK champion so fascinating. In a way, Liu Kang and the Edenian Kitana are made for each other because of this.

 **Fun Fact:** Liu Kang's bio in the MK1 prequel comic is under the impression that Kang is the family name, rendering his relatives as Lee, Lin and Chow Kang. I guess the newer games _can_ fix things if they try hard enough...


	8. The Princess' Purpose

She wasn't supposed to be here. She had asked numerous times in the past, during the planning phases of just about every previous tournament. She had Initially asked to be allowed to compete. When her father had refused, she had asked to at least be allowed to observe. Again, he had refused. He never gave a reason, though she suspected he was simply being overly protective of her, as she was the only family he had left, following her mother's death. In the early days, she would object, urge him to reconsider. But at some point, she had become less defiant. If he said no, she would accept his decision and say no more on the subject until the next time.

And yet, here she was, skulking in the shadows on Shang Tsung's island. She had disobeyed her father for... what felt like the first time in her ten-millennia-long life. She had come to the island to observe the tournament, using skills taught to her by Jade to remain undetected.

She peered out from behind one of the statues in the garden. While most of the area was clear of vegetation, this particular corner remained overgrown, allowing her to remain undetected by the warrior who had so firmly captured her attention.

His name was Liu Kang. He was said to be a Shaolin monk, the same as Kung Lao. It was also said that he was a direct descendant of Earthrealm's last champion, but she had yet to see any proof. He certainly dressed in his style - red headband, spiked gauntlets, red pants, no shirt to show off his impressively-toned, muscular physique. She was surprised he was able to move as quickly as he was with such well-defined musculature, but she was certain it wasn't some sort of sorcery - all natural. She lost track of time as she watched, transfixed, unable to tear her gaze away from his form as he performed move after move in the centre of the garden, sweat glistening off of his perfectly sculpted chest...

Kitana shook her head to clear away such thoughts. There was no denying he was an attractive man, the very peak of physical fitness and kombat prowess, but she was here to assess his abilities, not his body. It was his skills that had piqued her interest, compelled her to observe and assess his abilities. And decide whether or not he should be considered a threat.

A mere two days ago, if Kitana had been told that a warrior from Earthrealm could potentially pose a threat to Goro, she would have laughed in their face. Goro was undefeated for four and a half centuries which, while not a lot of time for an Outworlder, was multiple lifetimes for an Earthrealm mortal. If Shao Kahn had any reservations about Goro's chances of winning for the tenth time, which he never displayed to anyone, even his own daughter, then it was simple caution and a desire to not have to yet again reset all of his plans thanks to the overconfidence of his minions.

But now? She had seen this man in action. His opponents had been formidable: the unnamed bo staff master, the camouflaged saurian Reptile, and even the undead spectre Scorpion. Despite Goro the Indomitable being his next opponent, Kitana had a strange feeling the Earthrealmer could emerge victorious yet again. As such, she decided she would have to do something about it herself, lest Outworld risk losing this cycle at the eleventh hour, due to its own brashness.

She waited for the right moment to strike, having more distance than she'd like between herself and her target. She quietly removed her steel fan from her belt and flicked it open, a near inaudible sound of metal scraping accompanying the action. She reached down for the second fan to do the same, eyes briefly leaving her prey to do so, leaving her open to attack. She wasn't sure if he'd heard her, or perhaps seen a glint of sunlight reflecting across the metal (a rookie mistake on her part), but the monk was now aware of her presence and launching the same dragon fire attack he had used to defeat Reptile, directly towards her.

She dodged out of the way, throwing one fan in the hopes that he would be forced to dodge or block, buying her some time to recover and get in close. With his spiked gauntlets, the monk was able to block the strike easily and respond with a second fireball. Kitana had managed to recover and get roughly halfway across the garden by the time she had to respond to his follow-up.

She threw her fan, slicing the fireball vertically and causing it to dissipate. The impact slowed her fan as well, making it even easier for him to parry than the first. His block brought his arm back behind him, saving him from having to perform a separate windup for his punch, which came just as Kitana finished closing the gap. She attempted to spin kick him in the throat with her heel, but his punch impacted her foot, stopping her strike short. His fingers had parted during the punch to open a gap for her sharp heel to pass through, before closing around it with a shocking tight grip.

He fiercely threw her foot to the side, sending Kitana into a spin. She utilised the momentum to attempt a similar kick aimed at the side of his neck with her left foot. In one fluid motion, he stepped back and pushed her leg along its now too-short arc with his left hand, leaving her floating in the air as her mind raced to catch up before her spinning body fell to the floor in a heap.

Not yet beaten, Kitana swung her legs around in a sweep, which the monk had to actually try in order to avoid, hopping backwards. Once the sweep missed, Kitana continued her arc, for a full 360, pushing herself off the ground as her legs pointed towards the monk. She had seen a somewhat similar attack performed by Earthrealm's Sonya Blade, which he too had no doubt seen. But this attack wasn't intended to actually hit; it was to catch him off-guard and close the gap between them so Kitana could get in a real hit.

Once she was back on her feet, Kitana managed to land a solid punch on his broad chest, pushing him back. Realising her mistake, she went for another spin kick, her long legs having just enough reach for her foot to connect with his arm as it rose up to block. Using the momentum, she swung her other leg up, over his arm and colliding with his head, sending him reeling. She landed back on her feet and, noticing one of her fans at her feet, quickly picked it up and brandished it.

Liu Kang recovered from the staggering blow, shaking his head to reorient himself. "Impressive," he muttered.

"Not as impressive as this," she retorted before making her move. With one stride and a hop, Kitana was in the air, body horizontal, spinning, as she delivered a kick from above Liu Kang's head. He blocked the strike with both arms, though not without being forced into a lower stance by the force of the strike. He forced himself back to full height and shoved Kitana's leg back up. Following the momentum, Kitana spun and attempted an upwards vertical slice with her fan. Liu Kang brought both arms down onto Kitana's wrist, stopping her momentum dead and digging into her arm with the spikes on his armlets.

She spun 270° until she was facing upwards, but the cold, hard ground didn't find her this time. Instead, two large, muscular arms held her in a bridal carry. Begrudgingly, she had to admit to being impressed with the swiftness of his hands. She looked up at the monk, his raised eyebrow and knowing smirk telling her he was toying with her, intentionally trying to embarrass her. Glad for her face mask covering her burning cheeks, Kitana raised her leg overhead to kick at Liu Kang's face. His neck moved deftly to the side before wrapping back around and pinning her calf between his neck and his shoulder. Kitana would have been impressed if she wasn't so humiliated.

She elbowed him in the chest, weakening his grip enough for her to drop out of his arms and plant her hands on the ground. Keeping herself from falling, Kitana moved her unpinned leg around to his other shoulder and kicked him in the side of the neck, releasing her other leg. Then, gripping his neck tightly from both sides, she used all of her might to throw him across the garden with her legs.

He managed to recover expertly, using his own hands to springboard off the ground and land on his feet further away. While this bought Kitana time to retrieve her other fan, she realised it may have been a wiser decision to instead slam him onto the ground at her feet, rather than giving him the space to perform yet more of his potentially infinite projectile attacks.

She was surprised as, rather than attempting a swift response, Liu Kang simply stood tall and turned back to face her. His expression gave a seemingly genuine sense of being impressed. Even so, he took his battle stance once again, already prepared to resume the fight. Kitana switched up her own stance, both fans open and ready to strike. They both stood, staring each other down, for quite some time before either one made their move.

He set off his dragon fire, which Kitana deftly deflected with one fan. The next, she instead eliminated by bringing her fans together with enough force to create a gust of wind that blew the flame out just before it reached her. It was close - too close to be a reliable strategy. He then began firing off a barrage of dragon fire: first high, then low, then an entire wall of flaming dragons. The first was easy enough to eliminate. The second would have been simple to hop over or to the side of. But the third posed a threat however Kitana dodged it. Thus, she decided to use her newest technique.

She jumped into the air, facing away from him, just as the low attack was coming. With all her might, she created another gust of wind, which sent her flying in the direction of her opponent, soaring over the fall of flame. She turned towards him, ready to throw one fan and utilise his moment of distraction to strike with the other in close quarters.

As if he had known exactly what she had been planning, he was already in motion. As she turned, she saw, to her horror, that he too had taken to the air, rocketing directly towards her with a flying kick. The attack caught her off-guard and struck her in the head, sending her tumbling end-over-end until she made contact with the hard stone below.

* * *

Kitana awoke some time later, head throbbing and mind sluggish. It took her a moment to remember where she was and how she had gotten here. She was currently lying on an elevated patch of soft grass, rather than the harsh stone she had landed on. As she slowly sat up, she realised two things: One, sitting up was a bad idea as it left her feeling both dizzy and nauseous. Two, her face mask had been pulled down and rested around her neck, leaving her face exposed.

"You are awake," said a male voice from off to the side. She turned her head uneasily towards Liu Kang, the man she had been trying to kill. As the pieces started to click into place, Kitana swung her legs over the edge of the raised vegetation and staggered to her feet, almost falling flat on her face as she did so. Luckily, her target was at her side quickly, holding her up. She began to worry she had received a severe concussion, if she thought the man she had just attempted to assassinate was now helping her to stand.

She pushed him away by the chest, falling off balance and almost falling backwards, but again, he caught her by the wrists and pulled her in close. It was like some bizarre experimental dance routine, as she began to tip over to the side, but he provided an arm under her back to support her. By this point, she was too tired, sore, confused, lightheaded, and sick to resist his attempts to... help her? She surrendered and allowed him to guide her back to the grass and sit her down.

"Easy now," he said kindly. "You took a pretty nasty bump to the head earlier. You haven't fully recovered yet."

"Why is..." She had to stop herself as she felt like she might throw up for a second. "Why is my mask down?" She wasn't sure why this was the first question she thought to ask, rather than why he hadn't killed her yet. She felt exposed, naked, as this man was able to fully see her face. Beyond tradition and hiding her identity, the mask also allowed Kitana to obscure and control her expression. Without any of that, she felt like Liu Kang could see into her very soul. She would have pulled the mask back up if not for the fact that it would stifle her much needed supply of fresh air.

"You stopped breathing after you hit your head. I had to perform CPR."

Kitana raised a finger to her lips feeling embarrassed at both the thought of another person's lips on hers, and also the prospect that such a thing made her embarrassed in the first place.

"I apologise if you feel violated in any way," he said, bowing his head, "but it was the only choice I had, given the circumstances."

"No, that... That is fine."

She was more than a little perturbed that she had just tried to kill this man, and yet _he_ was the one apologising for saving _her_ life. Just what was it that made him this way? Was it his Shaolin upbringing, were all Earthrealmers like this, or was he just an exceptionally polite man by nature?

"Why haven't you killed me yet?"

In response to her question, Liu Kang stared at her, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "We Shaolin do not believe in killing. Ours is a path of peace and enlightenment."

"And yet many of your kind compete in the tournament."

"There are times when one must enact violence to end violence. We are not so idealistic that we do not see the unfortunate truth of this universe we inhabit."

"That way of thinking didn't work out for Kung Lao, did it?" That gave Liu Kang momentary pause and Kitana wondered if she might have gone too far. But to her surprise, he smiled.

"Indeed. However, I do not believe you are the same as Goro. He is prideful to a fault, and loyal to his dark masters. Any possible threat to his reign is destroyed without question. But you sit here, speaking calmly with an Earthrealmer. You are not like the other Outworlders, those who fight viciously in this tournament until rendered unable to continue. And I am glad for it, lest Outworld risk losing one as thoughtful and beautiful as yourself."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, almost angry at how defiant he was of her preconceptions. "Why are you being so... _kind_ to your enemy?"

"My enemy? Clearly, you are of Outworld, yes, but it is Outworld and Earthrealm that are enemies; not you and I. Shao Kahn threatens all life in Earthrealm, and is thus my enemy. But you... I can no more blame you for merely serving your home realm than I can blame a man for defending his family or clan from an intruder."

Kitana lowered her head to hide her shame. Why had she done this? She had attempted to murder this man in cold blood, not because her Emperor had commanded it, not because the tournament structure had dictated it. Because she had chosen to. It had been her own choice, one of the first she had ever truly made. And the result would have been the death of the first person she could recall who truly saw her as something other than the princess who must be obeyed, or the big sister who would protect them, or the daughter who could be utilised as a weapon. She was a monster.

"I am... sorry," she muttered.

"For what?" he asked, as if he was too dense to be able to figure it out himself. He clearly wasn't.

"For trying to kill you, of course. I see now that you are a good man. If you are to die on this island, you deserve to die honourably as a warrior in the tournament; not like a dog in some out-of-the-way garden."

He smiled again, shaking his head. "I have faced many in this tournament that have tried to end my life. I can tell that unlike them, you didn't truly have your heart in it."

Perhaps that was true. Even Kitana wasn't sure anymore. All she _was_ sure of was that she had wanted to impress her father, to earn his trust in her abilities, but she had instead failed him, even without any expectation on his part. And now, she was starting to cry. She hoped the monk wouldn't notice, but after she had attempted to assassinate him, she knew he wouldn't take his eyes off of her for a second, focused on observing any minute signs of a second attempt, however relaxed and casual he made himself seem.

He crouched down before her and wiped away one of her tears with his finger. She froze in that moment, goosebumps running along her skin, but she did not resist or back away. She allowed him to do the same to her other cheek.

"Come now. There is no need for tears. I told you already, you are forgiven for your actions."

"You don't understand. I wasn't even supposed to be here. I was expressly forbidden from coming here and yet I disobeyed my father and did so."

"I am sure, if your father loves you, then-"

"He is not just my father. He is my Emperor!"

Liu Kang's eyes widened in recognition, one of the few non-controlled responses she had thus far gotten out of him. "Shao Kahn is your father? Then you are Princess Kitana!"

She nodded. "His expectations of me are clear: I must obey him and dutifully fulfil any demand made of me, and only act by myself if absolutely necessary."

"It sounds like you are a slave, rather than a princess," Liu Kang observed.

Kitana sat in silence, pondering this observation. She had never really considered this viewpoint before. She lived in the lap of luxury, as a princess, with no wants or needs outside of her grasp. But could that be considered payment for her obedience and loyalty, rather than her royal birthright? Did her father provide so much for her because she was his daughter, or because she was an efficient servant? She had always known her father's love was never directly shown or given; his position as head of the empire meant displaying any sort of weakness could jeopardise everything - or so she had always thought.

But now that she thought more on it, it _was_ strange that this lifestyle was something she was expected to partake in, rather than having the option. Would a loving father truly send his beloved daughter on dangerous assassination missions, no matter how skilled she may be?

Whatever the case, typical or not, Shao Kahn's wrath would be terrible if he ever learned she had defied him so flagrantly - especially when even she herself had no answer as to why she had done so.

"Listen," Liu Kang said, bringing Kitana out of her thoughts and back to the garden, "it is not my place to judge, but it is clear to me that it is more than the ramifications of failure that have you so shaken. You attacked of your own accord here, without your Emperor's blessing. You acted impulsively, and you regret your actions. So, what do you say we pretend this incident never happened?"

"Wh...What?" Kitana asked, eyes wide in shock.

"You were never here. I merely continued my practise in peace and discovered some flaws in my form by myself. I certainly would have enjoyed meeting you, had I actually done so."

Kitana simply could not fathom the depths of this man's kindness. His neutral worldview was to be expected, given his background, but even then, there were surely limits to how kind one could be to their enemy. But then, as he had suggested, were the two of them really enemies?

"This has been a... learning experience, for me as much as for you, Liu Kang. Th...Thank you."

"Please, think nothing of it."

With that, Kitana stood, mostly recovered now, and went to leave. Upon reaching the gate to leave the area, she stopped. "While I hope Outworld will win the tournament," she said without turning back to face him, "I also pray you will be spared Prince Goro's wrath."

"I hope so too." he replied from across the area. "It would truly be a shame to never be able to gaze upon your regal countenance again."

Kitana was glad he was unable to see her face as she lifted up her mask and pushed open the gate. As the princess departed and the monk continued her exercises, unnoticed to both, Kitana's discarded and long forgotten fans were picked up by a pair of near invisible talons.

* * *

I think the way Netherrealm Studios started Kitana and Liu Kang's relationship in MK2011 was one of the best things in that game, but it had too little room to breathe, thanks to the required brevity of the genre, and the focus of the story. So, I figured I'd take my own crack at it with more of an introspective bend to it


	9. The Empress' Bodyguard

"Twice!" the Emperor declared in his rage. "Twice now, your people have failed me, Gorbak!" Only the Emperor of Outworld would be so audacious as to speak to the Shokan King in such a way. Anyone else would have been put to death on the spot. However, Shao Kahn was at once powerful, enraged, and correct. Despite his own title, Gorbak was both subservient to the head of the Empire, and also fearful of him. And both Gorbak's son and the head of his royal guard had been offered as champions of their race, and both had failed recntly. Two consecutive times, the Shokan had proven ineffectual in battling the forces of Earthrealm, and both had fallen to a Shaolin monk, whose peaceful ways were known, even in Outworld. Gorbak had no room to dispute his Emperor's claims.

"I understand, Emperor," Gorbak replied from his lowly kneeling position - one hardly befitting of one of his stature and status, but one still required if he were to keep his head. "We were all caught off-guard by the might of the Shaolin. We had assumed that Goro had simply become complacent in his status, resulting in his downfall. And Shang Tsung-"

"Shang Tsung will be dealt with separately!" Shao Kahn exclaimed, causing Gorbak to involuntarily recoil. "You are here to explain the failures of _your people_ , not those of Shang Tsung! It is clear to me that the Shokan as a whole have grown complacent in their status. I think it is time for a changing of the guard."

Gorbak's head shot up, mouth open to protest, before the King thought better of it and bowed his head once more. "A... changing of the guard, Emperor?"

"Yes. It is clear that relying on your people was a mistake. If this invasion fails, I will face the Elder Gods' wrath and everything I have worked so hard to achieve will be for nought. I will entrust this conflict to the Centaurs instead."

"The centaurs!?" Gorbak's head shot up once again. He stood tall for the first time since entering Shao Kahn's throneroom. "This is outrageous! The centaurs have long been the enemies of the Sho-!" Gorbak was cut off as Shao Kahn delivered a fierce backhanded strike to his face, the Emperor's bladed gauntlets cutting deep into the king's skin.

"Know your place, Gorbak!" Shao Kahn commanded. Gorbak fell silent and backed down immediately. "The Centaurs have long been the enemy of the shokan, but your petty squabbles are of no concern to me. Had your own son - and the tigrar you _personally_ placed forward to replace him - not failed, you might have had a leg to stand on. However, unlike the Centaurs, your people have proven twice now to be utterly incompetent. Your people will fill out the lower ranks of my armies. Hopefully, that will encourage you to prove yourselves worthy of my atten... What is all that commotion!?"

From outside the throneroom, shouting could be heard. Suddenly, the doors burst open, flinging the two guards standing by it across the room. Another guard came skidding across the marble floor from the outside. Finally, the culprit emerged: a female shokan of the draco lineage, pushed her way into the room, revealing more wounded guards outside and pulling along the two that had grabbed her around the waist and ankle to stop her.

"I am sorry, My Emperor!" one of them exclaimed. "We tried to stop her but-"

The Emperor raised a hand to stop him and indicated for the two to release her. They did so, stepping back but drawing their weapons and remaining close by, just in case. The intruder, typical of her race, was tall and muscular, though with some fabric stretched across her body to maintain some degree of modesty - a trait typically lacking amongst the shokan. Gripped in her four hands were six small sacks, each stained with red blood.

"Emperor Shao Kahn," she said with a bow.

Intrigued, her addressee stepped closer, passing by Gorbak and ignoring whatever expression he was wearing in response to the intruder.

"And you are?"

"I am called Sheeva, Emperor. I am one of the late Prince Goro's seven wives."

"Interesting. And why does a lowly member of the failed prince's harem believe she has to right to barge into the Emperor's throneroom, assault his guards and demand an audience?"

"I come bearing a gift, Emperor." She dropped five of the sacks one-by-one, each landing with a wet thud, as if to emphasise their number. The sixth, she held out for the emperor to take. Curious, he did so and pulled out the severed head of another female shokan.

"Agne!" Gorbak cried. "You... You killed... Then, these other five..."

"Prince Goro will no longer be needing his harem," Sheeva said, flatly. "Consider this a sign of my loyalty and devotion to your service, Emperor." She bowed deeply, lower hands joined at the palms, and upper arms stretched out above her head. As she rose back to full height, Shao Kahn lightly kicked another of the sacks to confirm that it was another head. He then fixed her gaze with his burning red eyes.

While a male Shokan could easily tower over the Emperor (as they could most anybody else), a female stood at almost the same height. And yet, despite now lacking a Shokan's natural height advantage, Sheeva stood tall, unbending before the Emperor's might. Shao Kahn's lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"You have spine, girl. Unlike your king. You have earned my respect; now, you must earn my trust."

"I will do whatever is required of me, Emperor."

"That is a given." The Emperor turned away and returned to his throne. "You may begin by removing your king from my sight. He sickens me."

"As you wish, Emperor," Sheeva replied with one last bow before helping Gorbak to his feet and guiding him out of the room.

Once back in Gorbak's assigned quarters, he demanded an explanation for Sheeva's treasonous acts. Her reply was calm and shocking to her king.

"It is treasonous to ensure our people's continued place in the Emperor's forces? It is treasonous to maintain a positive image in his eyes, even if only for one of our kind? The Emperor was so very close to replacing us entirely with the _centaurs_. A strong show of loyalty was necessary after two consecutive failures. And as I said, the prince hardly has need for his harem anymore."

Gorbak sat in his specially-prepared chair with four armrests. He let out a deep sigh of resignation. "You are right, Sheeva, though I am loathe to admit it. I apologise."

Sheeva shook her head. "There is no need for such talk, my King." She took a knee before him and placed a hand on his. "The loss of your son and your trusted guard both weigh heavily on your mind. You mustn't concern yourself with this conflict. Please, return home and spend time with your Queen. Take time to mourn and rest. I will take care of ensuring our Emperor's good faith."

The king nodded his head, slowly. There was nothing else left to say as Sheeva stood tall, spun on her heel and departed her King's presence for, perhaps, the final time.

* * *

Despite the lengthy blades protruding from their forearms, the four tarkatans Sheeva held by the throat were unable to escape her iron grasp. The two she held in her upper hands were slammed together and tossed to either side. The lower right was thrown into the air, and the lower left was thrown directly into him as he came back down, sending both flying across the hall.

"Pathetic!" Sheeva exclaimed, causing the surrounding tarkatans to shrink back in fear and shame. "You are the primary force of your Emperor's armies and _this_ is the best you can muster!? It is no wonder Earthrealm has beaten Outworld twice, with warriors such as these!"

"Watch your tongue, _shokan_!" Baraka, leader of the tarkatans, barked back. " _Your_ people were also beaten by Earthrealmers!"

"My people have achieved many victories over the years, mutant. The best yours have achieved was the massacre of pacifist monks!"

Baraka let out a savage cry at this insult and extended his blades. He charged forward and lunged into the air, poised to strike. Sheeva brought up her arms to grab his wrists. Before Baraka came close enough for either to strike, he froze in midair, an eerie green aura surrounding him. Suddenly, he was thrown back, hitting the ground some distance away from his enemy.

"Enough!" shouted the many voices of Ermac. "The Emperor demands unity within his forces. Just as he demands your presence, Sheeva. _We_ will resume your training exercise, in the meantime."

Without a word, Sheeva departed the courtyard, smirking to herself as she heard the cries of multiple tarkatans, Baraka included, as the red-clad ninja casually tossed them aside with his telekinetic powers.

She arrived at the doors to the emperor's throneroom soon after. Unlike the last time she had been here, she knocked on the doors, instead of kicking it in. Multiple months had passed since then, and Sheeva had been sure to present herself far less brazenly than she had back then, opting to appear as a faithful, efficient servant instead.

She was bidden inside by the Emperor's voice. Beside the Emperor was a mirror of some sort, in which could be seen the snake-like sorcerer, Shang Tsung, as well as a woman on a small stool, her face masked by an opaque veil. Sheeva approached the throne and took a knee with a lowered head. "You summoned me, my Emperor?"

"Indeed. I have been watching your progress since you first arrived, Sheeva. I have seen how you dominate the tarkatans and push them beyond their limits. I must say, I am impressed."

"You honour me, Emperor."

"Which is why," he continued without acknowledging her own words, "I am giving you a new assignment. Shang Tsung."

The sorcerer nodded and gingerly lifted the veil from the woman's face. The first feature to come into view was her lips, painted black. Next, her nose and her milky white eyes - the telltale sign of an undead - accentuated by black eye shadow. It seemed one of the two men had a thing for the gothic look. But even without the lack of pupils or irises, the woman's distant, unseeing gaze would be clear. Finally, the veil was pulled back over the woman's skunk-patterned long hair. Only with this final detail was the woman's identity clear.

Queen Sindel - the long-dead Queen of Edenia and Empress of Outworld.

"As you can see," Shao Kahn began to explain, "my wife as now back among the living. It will take some time for her to fully recover, and then she will be the key to my designs for Earthrealm. I am entrusting her protection to you."

"I-I am honoured to accept this task, My Lord!" Sheeva practically shouted, overwhelmed by her months of hard work finally paying off.

"Do not fail me, shokan, or all of your people will suffer my wrath. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes, Emperor!"

"Good. Report to Kano now. He will take you to the safehouse in Earthrealm, where your task will begin."

Without another word, Sheeva departed. She walked quickly through the halls towards where she knew Kano would be. Soon, all of Earthrealm would be laid to waste, and her people would be avenged. And she herself would lead the way for the Shokan to rise to prominence once again.

* * *

 _Originally, I was going to write a short about Kano, but while checking the bios in the MK1 prequel comic, I noticed mention of Goro's wives, and the idea of Sheeva being one of them came to mind._


	10. The Shadow's Return

The world was dark.

There was something strangely familiar about this darkness, but she couldn't quite place it.

Thinking itself was somewhat difficult. Her mind was sluggish, unfocused. She was sure she could normally think faster than this, but she wasn't quite sure.

There was a sound coming from her periphery. It was some sort of mouth sound. A voice? Yes, a voice. A voice she had heard before. Where or when, she wasn't sure. There was something simultaneously comforting and concerning about this voice. She trusted it, but also knew it was inherently untrustworthy. It was deep. A male, probably.

On that subject, she _was_ female, right? She was sure she was. There was an oddly compelling doubt within her, as if there was something unnatural about her very identity.

The voice interrupted her thoughts. It was speaking to her, she was sure. She wasn't sure what it was saying, mind, but her consciousness latched onto one word: 'Princess'. Was that her name? She was certain the voice was referring to her by that word, and that she'd been called such in the past. No, no, she was starting to remember now. 'Princess' was a title. Her title? It was a title of esteem, she recalled. Was she one of esteem? Why couldn't she remember? She felt incomplete.

The voice continued to speak. A part of her understood the words being spoken to her, but she couldn't quite make any of them out. It was strange to be so deaf to the words, yet so open to their meanings. The words continued pouring in, slipping right past her conscious understanding and entering her subconscious mind. Whatever was being said, she was sure she could trust it, in spite of her misgivings mere moments earlier. She simply lay back and allowed the words to fill in the blanks of her incomplete mind.

As time bore on, another word grabbed her attention. This one seemed to hold a much more powerful, personal meaning for her. Yes, she was sure this word was special - unique, even. It was her word, and hers alone. No one else owned this word. It was her name. Her personal, unique name. A name given to her by someone important, but she didn't remember who. Regardless, they had given it to her and she refused to let it go again. The word gave her comfort, it gave her focus, it gave her purpose. She concentrated hard on the word, allowing it to take shape in her mind's eye until it was as clear and tangible as her own body. She was almost ashamed to have lost this word until now. This time, she would make sure that she never lost sight of her name: Mileena.

* * *

Mileena's eyes shot opened, accompanied by a sharp gasp. There was suddenly something warm and hard beneath her prone form. It was a familiar hardness; one she was sure she had felt before. In fact, this entire situation was alarming familiar to her. She felt like she being born again.

Something felt off about her vision, somehow. It wasn't necessarily the quality, but it was definitely... different. Indescribably so. Even so, she could see Shang Tsung off to her right, staring at her in clear anticipation. She realised now that it was _his_ voice that she had been hearing in her stupor.

"Ah, the princess awakens," he said with a wide grin. "I was almost beginning to worry I might have to kiss you to awaken you."

Princess? She was sure he had said that word before. Somehow, it just felt wrong now.

"Confused? Of course, returning from death is never as straightforward as one might think."

"Death? What..."

"Temporary memory loss is to be expected, of course. Especially with traumatic memories of death. They will return in time, not to worry."

"I died..."

"That's right. Fortunately for both of us, the Emperor saw fit to have you restored, saving my greatest work from being... wasted."

"I don't understand."

"You will, in time. For now, simply relax and trust me as I perform a checkup to make sure there are no problems. Can you do that for me?"

"I... Y-Yes. I can."

"Very good. If all goes well, you'll be back on your feet and serving your 'father' in no time."

* * *

The checkup was long. Invasive. But Mileena couldn't bring herself to mind all that much. She wondered how much freedom she really had to resist the commands of Shang Tsung. Shao Kahn's commands were absolute - she had been created to obey them, after all - but Shang Tsung, while the one to actually create, didn't _seem_ to have any such power over her.

She was sat on the slab now, finally giving her back a rest, though her rear end was starting to get numb. Regardless of her body's discomfort, the fog in her mind had almost entirely cleared up. There were still a few patches of missing memory, such as the particulars of her death, but her other mental faculties had recovered enough that she was certain she could operate on her own, at least. Shang Tsung returned from a brief departure, bearing what was unmistakably one of Mileena's sai. Without a word, he crossed the chamber and held out the weapon for her to take.

"You're giving me a weapon before you give me any garments?" Mileena asked slyly, starting to come back to her old self.

"Clothes are unnecessary for the final test," he replied as she took it from him.

"But a weapon is? Am I to perform an assassination in the nude?"

"Would you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"If the Emperor commanded it."

"More's the pity. No, this is a different kind of test. I want you to take that sai and pierce your flesh with it."

Mileena thought she must still be recovering from her death when she heard what _must_ have been her imagination. When she made no response, Shang Tsung repeated his command.

"No," she said flatly.

"You refuse?"

"That is what 'no' means, sorcerer."

"Very well, you don't need to actually do it. Your response to the command is what matters."

Mileena tilted her head at this, unsure how to respond.

"Now, one last thing before our tests are finished..." The sorcerer conjured up some unknown mystical energy from his palm, coating his hand an an otherworldly green mist. Without warning, he reached forward and pressed two fingers to Mileena's forehead, between her eyes. A strange fogginess enveloped Mileena's mind as the energy entered her head. Her eyes rolled back in their sockets - though it was difficult to tell from how blank and white they had become in her undeath.

Mileena's mental processes stopped almost entirely, all sense of awareness fading into oblivion. For the briefest moment, she recalled the encroaching darkness of death and started to panic. But the moment passed quickly into nothingness.

The sorcerer passed a hand in front of Mileena's face. It was hard to tell if her eyes were following it, though she didn't blink in response to the closeness of his hand, which was a good sign. It seemed a more audible test was in order.

"Mileena?" he said, grinning as her head turned a little to face him head on.

"Yes?" she responded, her tone distant, lethargic, emotionless. All semblance of personality had been stripped away, leaving only an empty puppet. It made her creator feel nostalgic for his early days working in the Flesh Pits.

"Please take that sai and pierce your flesh with it," he said again.

"As you wish," she replied, barely finishing her response before jamming the weapon into her own thigh. The suddenness and power of the jab made even Shang Tsung recoil in surprise. Narrowly avoiding getting bloodstains on his immaculately formed attire, Shang Tsung recomposed himself.

"No sense of self-preservation," he noted quietly to himself. "This won't work for the Emperor's plans." He had Mileena remove the weapon from her flesh and used his magic to quickly heal the wound, as if she hadn't even broken the skin. That done, he reached out and extracted some of the magic suppressing Mileena's thoughts. Her stiff, robotic posture loosened into a more relaxed form as her mind became more her own.

"Are the tests done yet?" she asked, shaking her head. Her tone was more natural, but there was a clear difference from the norm - her tone lacked the usual vitriol and impatience Mileena displayed around him, instead presenting a calm, almost friendly demeanour.

"Not quite yet, Princess. Just a few more. Please, take your sai and pierce your flesh with it."

"Why?" she asked - a request for an explanation, rather than a challenge to his authority.

"Because I want you to."

Mileena's mouth formed a smile (yes, her tarkatan teeth kept her mouth in a near perpetual grin, but her creator knew her facial structure well enough to be able to see the difference). She once more responded, "As you wish." The act was calmer, slower, more precise as she slowly pushed the metal deeper and deeper into her thigh. Her tone, also, displayed a clear difference: more like she agreed with his command than that she had no choice in the matter. His grin grew wider as she winced in response to the pain. Her body began to shiver and shake in a sickly manner, but the almost oblivious smile never left her face.

"Excellent," the sorcerer noted in a sinister tone he genuinely couldn't stop himself from using. "We may need a few more minor tests to get this just right. But you don't mind. Isn't that right?" His choice to divide his last sentence into two was very much deliberate.

"Of course not, Shang Tsung," Mileena replied dutifully. "Whatever you need."

The experiments continued for some time - Shang Tsung suppressing or restoring Mileena's will to varying degrees, having her inflict self-harm, healing her, and trying another percentage. He did note that her enthusiasm, when she had some semblance of personality, eroded over time. No doubt, the constant back-and-forth was wearing away at her mind. He decided he probably shouldn't keep this going for too much longer. While the Emperor likely wouldn't care if Mileena was left with permanent mental scarring, so long as they had the results they needed, Shang Tsung couldn't deny a certain fondness for his creation, and didn't want to do _too much_ damage.

By the time they finished, she seemed exhausted. He lowered her back down onto the slab and issued one last command: "Sleep." Even without his magic, the sorcerer doubted Mileena would have put up much resistance to this particular suggestion. With another wave of his hand, he sent Mileena into a nice, lucid dream as a reward for being such a good sport. All the credit would go to him, of course, but her participation would prove vital for the Emperor's next great scheme.

* * *

Shang Tsung entered Shao Kahn's throneroom soon after. Baraka was finishing up a report on the training of the tarkatans. Something about needing stronger practice partners. The Emperor bid his general to leave upon noticing the sorcerer's entrance. With a bow to each, Baraka left the two to their privacy.

"I trust _you_ have good news, at least," the Kahn said in a tone that was subtly threatening. Shang Tsung had failed his master twice already, and he understood the consequences of the proverbial third strike.

"Your faith is well-placed, my Emperor," he replied with a bow of his own. "The resurrection proved quite a success. Mileena, while a little disoriented, is completely restored to the land of the living in both body and mind. As _for_ her mind, the spell took some experimentation, but I have found the right balance of obedience and independence you will require in your trump card. Mileena is naturally docile and submissive, however - a result of the tarkatan DNA within her. I doubt her... 'mother' will be quite so easy to tame."

"You just let me worry about that, Shang Tsung," the Emperor replied, dismissively. "Continue the experiments on other subjects. Your have earned my trust, for now. But do not allow that to go to your head, lest you lose it."

Shang Tsung gulped involuntarily, but he couldn't help but grin wide at the thought of what Shao Kahn had in store for Earthrealm. Raiden, Liu Kang, Kitana - the looks on their faces when they realised that all their struggles and their sacrifices had been invalidated, as an incomprehensibly large army invaded their world, commanded by the boldfaced defiance of Emperor Shao Kahn and his newly-resurrected Empress...

* * *

 _I was inspired to write this while making Mileena's episode of Wasted Plotential. I had to be careful not to retread **The Shadow's Descent** too much._


	11. The Messenger's Sanctuary

She wished she'd dressed warmer. The traditionally-revealing Brotherhood of Shadow attire was perfectly comfortable in the blistering heat of the Netherrealm, but the icy tundra of this region of Earthrealm was more hellish than... well, Hell itself. The cold was torture, yet also strangely comforting, in a way. It brought back memories of that encounter a decade previous...

Her mind pulled itself forcefully away from her reverie before she could slip too deeply into that chasm. If she didn't find the temple soon, she was sure to die out here in the frozen wastes. She wished she had spent more time memorising the temple's location before fleeing the Netherrealm, though many would surely argue that staying much longer in a Brotherhood stronghold after her betrayal would have been _more_ suicidal than travelling to a land of sub-zero temperatures with her arms, thighs and chest almost entirely exposed.

Even if she did reach her destination, there was no guarantee that she would be given a warm welcome. Even so, this was something she _had_ to do. It was the only way to repay the debt she had long thought impossible to repay.

The numbness in her limbs grew increasingly difficult to bear. She was sure her skin would be screaming for her to find shelter soon, were she able to feel anything anymore. she could barely feel the ground beneath her feet, or the angle of her legs as their trudging movement slowed to a crawl, then a stagger, and finally, a fall.

The white world around her began to darken. Her mind was just about able to register that she was losing consciousness, and that this would be a death sentence. She supposed she might not have minded all that much, if not for her need to repay the debt. Perhaps, she would be reborn in the Netherrealm, as she had been all those years ago. Would she even have a chance to try again? Or would one of her former comrades find her first, drag her back in chains, and drop her at the feet of her former master for 'reeducation'?

As the last of her conscious thoughts slipped away, she attempted to speak, but her now blue-ish lips refused to move. She wanted more than anything to say she was sorry, even if the one to whom she spoke was literally worlds away and in no position to hear her words.

The last she heard was the sound of approaching footsteps as she finally succumbed to the cold.

* * *

She awoke some time later. She slowly became aware of the fact that she was in some sort of interior chamber. It was still chilly in there, but certainly a sauna compared to the temperatures that had assaulted her flesh outside.

The room was empty, aside from the small cot she had been laid in. At least the blanket she'd been provided was nice and warm. Her clothes had been removed - no doubt soaked from the savage blizzard she'd been wading through. Fortunately, a new set of blue clothes lay in wait at the foot of the bed. The attire seemed to have been designed for protection from the cold. After all, while the Grandmaster may have been a cryomancer, uniquely suited to the harsh cold, his many recruits were not.

The top was similar to her own rather skimpy top that had left her midriff exposed. On top of that went a piece of blue leather chest armour with a white fur trim. The matching fur briefs covered and warmed her waist quite nicely. The black fur boots with blue trim felt amazingly warm on her tired feet. After a set of black and blue leather armguards, the final piece was the sheer, nylon-esque under garments that covered all of her exposed skin - legs, stomach, arms, chest. Despite their transparency, they were mystically designed to help regulate body heat. She recognised them as having been created by Quan Chi for when his three assassin underlings were sent on assignments to less climate realms. How the Grandmaster had come by such a thing, she had no idea, but she was grateful, nonetheless.

Before she had time to address the black coat and red neck warmer, she door to the chamber suddenly burst open, giving her a shock. Evidently, the Lin Kuei had gone through quite the change in uniform since Sektor's defeat. While the old Lin Kuei had allowed individualised colours for its most prolific members, the new Lin Kuei instead adopted the blue and black colour scheme of Sub-Zero. Several men and one woman entered the chamber, all dressed in padded uniforms for the cold, aside from the ice-haired woman, whose attire more closely resembled the traditional Lin Kuei style. Once the room was secure, _he_ entered.

She almost let out a gasp at the sight. He looked so much like Bi-Han, aside from the ice blue scar running vertically over his right eye, and his frost-coated forearms and hands. His attire was different in certain ways, but it was unmistakably a tribute to to the fallen legend of the old clan. He eyed her up with a familiar, icy cold stare for a few moments. She felt his frigid gaze linger on the black Brotherhood symbol tattooed on her left shoulder. Once it was clear she had no intentions of attacking him, he sent his people out of the room, leaving the two alone as the door closed. She waited for him to speak first, intending to make her peaceful intentions clear.

"It is I you seek, yes?" While spoken as a question, it was clear he already knew the answer, and was more interested in her reasons.

"Y-Yes, Grandmaster," she replied with a quick bow. He rolled his eyes at this.

"You are Brotherhood of Shadow. I see of only one reason why a Brotherhood assassin would-"

" _Former_ Brotherhood," she quickly clarified. "I have been estranged from that group for a decade."

"A decade, you say?" His perfectly even, almost disinterested tone was unnerving. She wondered if Bi-Han might have become like this, had he not been killed so long ago. "Then I am correct in assuming you are Sareena, the Brotherhood assassin who betrayed her brethren to assist Sub-Zero in defeating Quan Chi." Not even a question in tone this time. A clear statement.

"Yes, Grandmaster. I am Sareena."

"And yet, Bi-Han reported your death at Shinnok's hand."

"My human form was destroyed by the attack. I was reverted to my true demon form in the Netherrealm. I only recently reacquired my human form. Hence why my Brotherhood marking has yet to be... dealt with."

"And how can I be sure, whether or not this is true, that Quan Chi has not found a way to worm his way back into your head? Made you his slave once more?"

"You... cannot. Even I am unsure whether or not Quan Chi still holds any influence over me. But I can assure you, he is too busy to attempt any scheme beyond survival. He is struggling to evade capture by both Scorpion and the Brotherhood."

"Hasashi is aligned with the Brotherhood?" A slight hint of concern was evident in his voice at this suggestion.

"No, no. They have separate motives. Scorpion seeks revenge for the massacre of the Shirai Ryu enacted by Quan Chi. A massacre in which I participated... The Brotherhood is seeking Shinnok's amulet. The _real_ amulet."

"So then it _was_ fake. Raiden suspected as much, once the conflict was over."

"Yes. It seems Quan Chi had replaced the real amulet soon after Bi-Han retrieved it. That it remained undetected for four years is testament to the sorcerer's proficiency. Shinnok now seeks retribution for Quan Chi's betrayal."

"Shinnok yet lives then."

"Yes. But he was weakened significantly from the battle in Edenia. It seems the fake amulet had an additional purpose to simply fooling Shinnok and Raiden."

"No doubt, Raiden will seek to end Shinnok for good once he has this information. But you surely didn't come here to tell me that Shinnok and Quan Chi survived. No, you would have sought out Raiden or Sindel. You are here on more personal business. Here to seek sanctuary, perhaps?" Finally, a question he didn't have the answer to.

"No- Uh, yes- I mean... While I would certainly appreciate asylum from the Brotherhood, that is not why I'm here. I'm here because there is something you need to know about Bi-Han."

"My brother is dead. Long since. There is very little you could tell me that-"

"He is alive."

That gave him pause. Despite only his eyes being visible beneath his brother's mask, Kuai Liang's shock was evident.

"Or, at least, in a sense. After his death, his soul entered the Netherrealm, where it was quickly seized by Quan Chi." The room grew yet colder as the younger Sub-Zero realised the implication of what he was being told. "He was transformed into a wraith, bound to the will of Shinnok. He was a spy within Shao Kahn's ranks for some time, reporting back to Shinnok on the conflict with Earthrealm."

"And where is he now?"

"He was most recently dispatched to Outworld. He is the one who assassinated Prince Goro - Noob Saibot."

"Noob Saibot!?" The Grandmaster's fury was not a raging fire, but a choking cold that threatened to drain the life from Sareena. The walls and floor were coated in as much ice now as his arms. Sareena had to cover herself in the blanket again to protect herself.

She understood his anger, of course. Kuai Liang had fought Noob Saibot during the Outworld tournament, the invasion of Earthrealm and the conflict in Edenia. To him, the shadowy wraith had simply been a powerful opponent sent to face him repeatedly as a match for his skills. Now, however, he understood that the true reason for this was that Shinnok and Quan Chi had derived no small amount of sick pleasure from using their nemesis as a tool against his own brother. And all along, Kuai Liang had been utterly oblivious to this fact. To the abuse of his brother's soul. She could only imagine what Sub-Zero would do to the two, if left alone in a room with them. And she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the thought.

The fury was one thing, but the sorrow at the realisation that, in three separate encounters, even facing his brother unmasked and then wearing his own former mask, Bi-Han had not once displayed any hesitation in their battles. This was not like the simple mind control spell Shang Tsung had cast on Queen Sindel, that her daughter had been able to break through with her love. Whether by the nature of their somewhat distant upbringing, or simply the power of the sorcery on display, restoring Bi-Han to his former self may ultimately prove to be an impossible task.

Kuai Liang calmed down from his outburst, regaining his composure before speaking again. "Sareena. I can assure you of two things."

"Y-Y-Yes?" she shivered from the stubbornly clingy cold.

"You will have your asylum here. Your assistance of my brother and your journey to deliver this information to me, in spite of the risks, has earned you a home with the Lin Kuei. And rest assured that Quan Chi and Shinnok will pay for what they have done to my brother. I will seek out Raiden and demand a force be put together, which will have the full support of the Lin Kuei. For now, rest. Whether for Bi-Han or yourself, you will not be of much assistance in the coming conflict in your current state." He headed for the door without another word, until he grasped the handle. "Thank you," he said finally, before opening the door and informing his followers of his decision.

Sareena lay back on the bed, making sure to cover herself in the blanket and pulling the coat over the top of it. She was surprised it had gone as well as it had. She had dreaded that her blatant Brotherhood insignia would be the first thing Sub-Zero saw, and would blind him to her intentions. Fortunately for her, it seemed that, much like his brother before him, Kuai Liang was able to look past her outer self and give her a chance to prove herself.

* * *

"You're putting it on hold?" While the conversation leading up to this hadn't once mentioned the planned assault on the Brotherhood, Kuai Liang knew exactly what Sareena was talking about.

"Unfortunately, more pressing matters have presented themselves. Quan Chi has formed an alliance with Shang Tsung. Shao Kahn and Liu Kang are dead."

Sareena's eyes widened at this. "The Emperor and the Champion of Mortal Kombat? Both of them?"

"Yes. And the sorcerers seek to revive the army of Onaga to lay siege to the realms. Raiden has asked that I join him in Outworld to stop him."

"Let me accompany you."

"No. You have still not recovered from your journey. The sorcerers are a force to be reckoned with and you are in no state to accomplish much of anything. You will stay here while Frost and I join Raiden's group. You will remain here and when we return, I will speak with Raiden about Shinnok and Bi-Han."

"But what if you encounter Bi-Han in Outworld?"

"Unlikely. Unless Shinnok sends his greatest warrior to assassinate Quan Chi and leaves himself unguarded, my chances of encountering my brother are slim."

"But even so-"

"I understand how you feel. I want to see justice for my brother just as much as you do, but I'm afraid you will accomplish little in your current state. Stay here, let yourself heal, and get in some training with my followers. They, too, are unready for such a conflict and could do well to learn from you. You know the Brotherhood's methods and tactics better than I. You will do more for Bi-Han by preparing them for the war, than throwing your life away in the name of vengeance."

"You... are right, Grandmaster. I will do as you ask."

"Good. Now, take this." Sub-Zero held out a piece of black fabric with a blue accent. Unfolding it, she found it to be a sash featuring the Lin Kuei symbol. "If you are to teach us and join us in our battle, you would do better to officially be one of us."

Sareena felt a strange surge of emotion at the gesture. Indescribably gratefully, she quickly tied the final piece of what was now her uniform around her waist. For the first time in a decade, she truly felt like she belonged. But there was one last thing she needed to do to complete this transformation from Brotherhood assassin to Lin Kuei warrior.

She took a red hot poker from the nearby fireplace and pressed the glowing orange tip to her shoulder. The burning sensation was hellish, even for a denizen of the Netherrealm, but she knew she had to endure this, to show her Grandmaster how truly dedicated she was to his cause. She dragged the poker down her arm, scorching the flesh and filling the room with a sickening smell and scorching sound. She felt like she might pass out from the pain, but she soldiered on until the entire area where her Brotherhood tattoo was located had been burnt to a toasty black.

Once she was finally done, she threw the poker aside an tried not to let the tears that had formed in her eyes be seen. However, Sub-Zero approached her, placing one hand on her right shoulder and allowing his other hand to hover over the charred flesh, cooling it with his aura. He spoke only a few words, but the words meant more to her than any she had ever heard before.

"Your dedication is clear. You are now one of us. Welcome, Sareena of the Lin Kuei."

* * *

 _I had to take a couple liberties with the timing, location and circumstances surrounding the meeting of these two, but I really do think it works better this way, and sets up the idea of Sareena joining Kuai Liang and engaging Bi-Han and Smoke. Better idea than just having her get brainwashed into rejoining Quan Chi._


	12. The Successor's Potential

"Okay, you've got your mission," Johnny said in an uncharacteristically professional manner. "Gear up. I want you all ready to go in fifteen." As the four cadets stood and saluted, he added, "Cass, hold up a sec." After exchanging a concerned look with Jacqui, Johnny's daughter nodded for her to go on ahead.

"Sir?" Cassie asked once the two were alone.

"Off the record," he clarified.

"Dad?" she corrected.

"You doing okay?" he asked, any professionalism melted away, leaving only the tone of a concerned parent.

"Huh? Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Cass, you inherited a lot of things from your old man, but his acting ability isn't one of 'em."

"Not that there's much to inherit there," she quipped.

"Point proven, wiseass. Now, come on. Something's clearly bothering you. It won't do you any good to let it nag away at you on your first mission."

Cassie sighed. "It's nothing, it's just... Dad, why did I really get assigned as squad leader? Is it just because I'm the daughter of the General and Earthrealm's hero?"

Johnny cocked an eyebrow. "Is this about what Jin said?"

"No. Well... kinda."

"Okay, first of all, fuck Jin and his-"

"I don't think he'd be up for that."

"Just... zip it for a sec, alright? Listen." He placed both hands on his daughter's shoulders, firmly. "You got the job because you're the best. I learned my lesson about nepotism after I let my cousin David write the screenplay for Ninja Mime... Your mom and I both know what you're capable of. Between your mom's proficiency with firearms and my quick wit, you were the obvious choice. Jin's got a major chip on his shoulder about other people, Takeda's not had an equal in his clan since the Kamidogu incident, and Jacqui gets a little too sensitive when it comes to her dad. Given time, they could each be good leaders in their own right, but for now, you're the only one fit to be a leader."

"So, it's because I'm somehow the _least_ fucked up," Cassie replied, dejectedly.

Johnny sighed deeply. "Cassandra," he said, resorting to using her full name, a tactic he and her mother only employed when she was matching Sonya's impressive stubbornness. "This isn't about who's the least bad choice, okay? Whether or not you or your teammates believe in you, I do. That's why I put your name forward to be squad leader, and that's why I fought your mom when she disapproved."

Cassie looked up, shocked. "Mom disapproved?"

"Of course she did. You know how she is. She assumed, like you and like Jin, that it was because you're my girl. You wouldn't believe how long I had to spend talking her around. It never took me that long to talk her into sex-"

"Ew. Dad. Come on."

"Look, the point is... I wouldn't have spent the better part of two hours debating her if I didn't really believe you were the best fit for the job. Now, I want you to go out there and show your team, and yourself, that you deserve your position through your own talent. Go prove your old man's intuition is better than his acting chops."

Cassie smiled warmly. "Well, it's hardly-"

"Don't ruin the moment, Cassie."

"Okay," she replied, hugging her father. "Thanks, Dad."

"Any time, kiddo. Now, run along. A leader shouldn't keep her squad waiting."

"Yes, Sir," she said with a crisp salute, before spinning on her heel and leaving to join her squad.

"I'm never gonna get used to that," Johnny mused, shaking his head. "Sergeant Cage, huh?"

* * *

"What the _hell_ , Dad!?" Cassie demanded.

Johnny exchanged a look with Sub-Zero, who indicated towards a nearby room with his head. "Alright, you three head back to the plane," Johnny told Cassie's squad before leading her into the room and closing the door behind them.

"A _training exercise_!? After all that shit you said about proving myself on this mission, it was a _goddamn training exercise_!?"

"Hey, now, the point of this exercise was to test your ability to work as a team in the face of an opponent who's far out of your league. I asked Sub-Zero because he is just that, and his ability to assess a warrior's shortcomings is unparalleled. Evidently, that ability was necessary here."

"But why didn't you tell me this wasn't a real mission?"

"Will Kano call ahead to let you know when he's planning to make his move? Or Mileena? Or Quan Chi?" Johnny's tone was more serious now, his growing irritation as his daughter's immaturity growing clearer with each word he spoke.

"N-No, but-"

"And that's the point. So, this mission wasn't what you expected. You have to be prepared for the unexpected and react accordingly, Cassie. And if this _had_ been a real mission, one where the lives of you and your squad really were on the line, what would you have done then?"

He gave his daughter a chance to respond. When she didn't, instead opting to avoid his gaze and look at her feet, he answered for her.

"You would've died. All four of you. You're not ready for a real mission, clearly. _That's_ why I didn't tell you beforehand. Now, I may be your dad, but I won't tolerate that little outburst out there. It was unprofessional and, if anything, only confirms Jin's suspicions that you're undeserving of the position."

"Goddammit," Cassie muttered under her breath. Not because Jin was proven right, or because she knew Johnny was right in his admonishment. It was because she was actually starting to cry in the face of this harsh truth. Cry! Like a goddamn child! "Why am I so fucking useless?"

She felt Johnny wrap his arms around her and pull her in close for a tight, warm embrace. "Listen, Cassie. You know I'm only doing this so that you _can_ be deserving of your position, right?"

"I know," she whispered between gasps.

"You have it in you to be the best. You're a Cage and a Blade, after all. But don't let that be all that defines you, alright? Use what we've given you to be best Cassie you can be."

Cassie gently pulled back to look up at her father with a smile. "Geez, Dad, did you let Uncle David write that one too?"

"Hey! Most of my _best lines_ are improvised."

"Well, you coulda fooled me."

"Alright, smartass, let's get you back to your team before I have to have you court martialed."

" _You_ , court martial me?"

"Yeah. Me court martial _you_. I _am_ your superior, you know."

"You keep telling yourself that, old man."

"Okay, now I get why Jax beat me up that time."

Cassie cocked an eyebrow. "Jax beat you up? When did this happen?"

"I don't wanna talk about it..."

"Uh-uh, you've mentioned it. Now you've gotta tell me."

"Nope."

"Come on!"

"One more and I'll cancel your Netflix subscription."

"Ah-! Hold on! That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, kiddo. Now, get back to the plane."

Cassie saluted, before spinning on her heel and leaving to join her squad. Johnny followed soon after, stopping to thank Sub-Zero for his assistance.

"Any time, Cage," the Grandmaster replied with a bow. "If you find discipline is still lacking in young Cassandra-"

"No thanks," Johnny replied. "I'm practically with Jax on letting the girls join SF, let alone your little ice kingdom up here."

Sub-Zero shrugged. "Even so, the invitation remains open. The Lin Kuei colours quite suited her last Halloween."

"I knew I should've forbidden her from posting those... Wait, you guys have internet up here?"

"This is the twenty-first century, Cage. Yes, we have internet. We even have wi-fi and a Friendships fan page. Now, best not to keep your apprentices waiting. And I sincerely hope they are better prepared when next I meet them."

"Oh, they _will_ be. In fact, I bet my kids-"

"Best not to make bets you've just been proven you'll lose, lest people think your team's shortcomings are on your head."

Johnny's mouth hung open for a moment before he slowly closed it again. "Point taken."

* * *

 _Yes, this was based entirely around the cousin David exchange, shut up. Another potential named was "Cassie Uncaged". See, with a bit more focus on her inner turmoil over her position, Cassie could have been... not shit. She could have joined SoulCalibur's Cassandra in the pantheon of legendary fighting game Cassies, but she falls short, hard._


	13. The Shadow's Release

Hers was an existence of eternal suffering.

She had been created for the purpose of replacing her genetic template and serving her emperor. Her desire to fulfil these duties was so overpowering, that she really had no say in the matter. As such, where was the justice in Kitana dropping her into a prison cell for years and leaving her down here, forgotten? It seemed that their time as 'sisters' under their 'father's' rule meant far less to Kitana than to Mileena.

They had fought three times now. Well, the first of those could hardly be considered a fight; moreso an execution. That had been Kitana's immediate response to learning of Mileena's true nature: butchering her like diseased livestock. Her resurrection had come soon after, but merely as a test for the much more important resurrection of Queen Sindel.

Even so, Mileena had dutifully followed her emperor's commands, eventually leading to a confrontation between herself and Kitana, as the latter attempted to free her mother from Shao Kahn's mind control. Mileena failed to protect her 'mother' and was thus exiled from Outworld by the emperor. She had found herself in the newly-restored Edenia, remaining undetected for quite some time.

It was then that Baraka, her fellow tarkatan and servant of Shao Kahn, had approached her. She had been shocked to see him, given his supposed death at the hands of Kung Lao in the invasion. He had informed her of the coming conflict: the fallen Elder God, Shinnok, had escaped his imprisonment in the Netherrealm, thanks to the machinations of the demonic sorcerer, Quan Chi. Quan Chi had recruited Baraka in the Netherrealm as a personal enforcer, for when he made his move against Shinnok. Baraka's first thought had been to track down Mileena, justifying this decision through Mileena's inherent memories copied from Kitana making her a valuable asset as Shinnok made his way into Edenia - though Mileena suspected there was more to it than that. Regardless of the reason, she was just happy to have a new master to serve. At least, until Liu Kang defeated Shinnok and Kitana imprisoned Mileena beneath the Edenian Royal Palace.

But multiple years had passed since then. The only familiar face she had seen in that time was Jade, occasionally coming through to interrogate Outworld spies. Kitana hadn't even felt inclined to come down and taunt her. To Kitana, Mileena wasn't worth even that.

Mileena probably could have found a way to escape, if she properly applied herself. However, her depression left her utterly devoid of energy. As such, she did nothing. She simply sat there, barely driving herself to eat the food she was given. At times, she felt her mind simply shut off, sitting catatonic for a while, until inevitably being brought back to reality by a guard or the screaming of another prisoner. Even death would hardly be a comfort, placing her back in the Netherrealm, where she was sure to run into Shinnok or Quan Chi, both of whom she had failed.

She was in one of her near-comatose states when she heard a commotion outside. Guards rallying against some attacking force, only to be slaughtered en masse. She chuckled weakly, enjoying the sounds of the screams.

And then the door of her cell opened. The silhouette in the doorway was difficult to make out from the light behind it, but it was the voice with which it spoke her name that snapped Mileena out of her hopeless depression.

"b...barak..." she struggled to say.

She got a better view of the tarkatan general as he stepped into the moonlight shining in from overhead. His armour was new - dark blue breastplate that served only to compliment the splotches of red Edenian blood that coated his body - while his pants were a dark maroon that made the blood impossible to make out down there. Both of his armblade where extended and fully reddened.

Without a word, he sliced through the metal chains holding her arms above her head, bringing the greatest relief she had ever felt in her life as they fell limply to her sides. He retracted one blade and use that hand to tear off the mask covering her mouth and lift her chin to face him. He held up the other armblade towards her mouth, which she slowly licked clean. There was something special about Edenian blood, she had learned during her service under Shinnok, that made it taste far better than any other race she had yet consumed. Lapping it up completely rejuvenated her.

She reached up and placed both hands on the back of her saviour's neck, pulling him in close and pressing her forehead against his. He allowed her to do this for a few minutes, basking in the screams of the remaining Edenian guards as they were massacred just beyond the threshold of the cell. Eventually, they pulled their heads back, Mileena flashing a grateful, toothy smile. Baraka retracted his other blade and placed both hands under her arms. With her arms securely around his neck, he lifted her to her feet and allowed her to lean against him for support as she gained her footing.

Once she was able to stand on her own, Baraka led Mileena outside. Each tarkatan soldier they passed along the way bowed to her, surprising her with the level of respect they each held for her. Passing over countless corpses, Baraka brought Mileena out into the courtyard that led to the dungeon. There, she found the most incredible sight. Standing before her, taller than even the tallest of shokans, was a reptilian entity - a winged demon with horns the length of Baraka's blades. She had heard enough stories of Shao Kahn's conquests to know the visage of Onaga, the long-dead Dragon King.

Baraka took a knee before him, indicating him as his new master. Mileena then followed suit. Onaga took a thunderous step closer and chuckled. "Stand," he commanded, and the two obeyed. "This is the one?" he asked to Baraka, while eyeing up Mileena.

"She is, Emperor," Baraka replied.

'Emperor?' The word shook Mileena to her core. Onaga seemed to either notice or anticipate this.

"The usurper is dead. As are the two sorcerer's that claimed his life. Outworld is mine once more, as will soon be all the realms."

Mileena let this information sink in. Shao Kahn was dead. With that, her original purpose was well and truly lost to her. She supposed she should be happy about this, now being liberated to determine her own destiny, but she found this news strangely terrifying. Despite having been treated as a tool and a failure, Mileena was still bound to Shao Kahn's will, and the idea that she might never again be able to serve him left her stomach in knots. Before she could dwell on this any further, Onaga brought one massive finger, as long and thick as her entire forearm, up to her chin to get a better look at her face.

"You spoke truthfully of the resemblance, Baraka. Interesting." The Dragon King's voice, despite its much more intense baritone, was not quite as commanding and imposing as Shao Kahn's (though that was likely because Mileena had been created to obey _that_ voice). "Tell me, Mileena, for what purpose do you exist?"

Unable to avert her gaze, or stop herself from trembling, Mileena responded, "To serve the Emperor and replace Kitana."

Onaga nodded thoughtfully. "Exactly what I wanted to hear. I have need of such talents and Baraka tells me you are quite adept at both. You will serve me now. I am sure you already know the alternative?" It was rhetorical, yet Mileena felt compelled to answer.

"There is no alternative. I am yours to command, Emperor."

Onaga let out a deep, intimidating chuckle. "It seems my old protégé found the right man for the job when creating you; loyal _and_ fit for purpose. Once we get you cleaned up and fitted for your new attire, you will be near indistinguishable from the real thing."

At these words, a woman stepped out from behind Onaga's impressive wingspan. Mileena's eyes narrowed as her exact mirror image stepped into view. The new attire seemed out-of-place on her body - effectively a robe that left much of her torso exposed, including much of her breasts, and nothing more than knee-high boots and a thong on her lower body - but the woman's identity was unmistakable.

"KITANA!" Mileena screeched, finding new strength in the overwhelming hatred she felt towards the woman. She lunged forward, covering a good few feet and knocking Kitana to the ground. Mileena didn't have her sai with her, but her teeth would suffice to rip open Kitana's throat like a stuck pig. But that would be too quick a death for this _bitch_. Mileena began pummelling her, after which she would gouge her eyes, bite her all over and only then would she go for the neck.

Before she could go much further, however, she felt a pair of muscular arms wrap themselves under her own and meet up behind her neck. Had she not been imprisoned for as long as she had, Mileena could easily have broken free of Baraka's hold. As it was, Mileena was no match for his strength and resigned herself to whatever was in store for her.

Kitana, surprisingly, did nothing to retaliate. Instead, she simply stood and dusted herself off, checking the impact sites for blood with a stone-still, utterly neutral face. Mileena was at a loss for words until she noticed the way in which the gap between the two's appearances had closed back up: her eyes. Much like Mileena since her original death, Kitana's eyes were now a blank, milky white. Baraka seemed to notice the way she was looking closer at Kitana, the way one would look for blemishes and dirt in a mirror.

"The princess and her comrades were killed in the battle with Quan Chi and Shang Tsung," he explained. "Emperor Onaga used the same magic Shang Tsung used on Sindel, to make them his puppets."

"E-Even Liu Kang?" Mileena was stunned to hear of this, her legs buckling and forcing Baraka to lower her to the ground and release her. There had always been something about Liu Kang that had fascinated Mileena. It could have been simply due to his immense kombat prowess and her tarkatan nature drawing her towards power, or it could have been that Mileena's taste in men simply mirrored that of her genetic template.

Before Baraka could elaborate, Onaga spoke up. "No doubt, you are drained from your long imprisonment. You may return to Outworld with Baraka and get caught up on current affairs, or you may join us as we assault the palace. I leave that choice to you." Without another word, Onaga began his march towards the nearby palace, commanding his army to follow. Baraka waited behind to hear her decision. As she watched Kitana obediently march behind her new master, ready to battle her own mother and reclaim Edenia for Outworld, Mileena grinned widely.

"Come, Baraka," she said gleefully as she rose to her feet. "Let us join our master's conquest, and observe the ruination of my 'sister's' home.

Baraka nodded and followed alongside her, filling her in as best he could. The so-called 'Deadly Alliance' had claimed the lives of Shao Kahn and Liu Kang, and then Kitana and four other Earthrealm warriors, before they and Raiden were all overpowered by the unstoppable Dragon King. His victory was all but assured, and Mileena would be there to serve at her emperor's side, alongside Baraka and her 'sister'. Just like the good old days...

* * *

 _This chapter was intended to be a short that featured Mileena and the introduction of the mind controlled heroes. As I was writing the next chapter, I tried to add that scene to at as the introduction, but it didn't really fit. As such, I split it off and planned to use it as the closing scene for this one. The story I ended up writing just didn't go in a direction where that would fit. Maybe I'll be able to fit it in somewhere, but for now, it's a no-go._


	14. The Shadow's Discovery

The Flesh Pits.

Mileena had rarely been down here since her rebirth. Shang Tsung, her creator, had performed numerous experiments on her down here, both to ensure she was fit for duty, and for his own twisted amusement.

Soon after coming into Onaga's service, Mileena had explained to her new master, in more detail, how she had come to be. This tale had inspired him to send her back to the place of her creation to seek out any other 'abominations', as he had called them. The word had stung, but Mileena was simply happy to once more be serving the emperor alongside her 'sister', so the insult barely mattered to her. Regardless of his disdain, she would obey, happily.

Mileena had been the... eighth attempt, she thought, at creating a clone of Kitana. Her predecessors had all been unsuccessful, turning out deformed far beyond her own acceptable facial disfigurement. Presumably, they had all been destroyed.

Mileena had vaguely recalled hearing the sorcerer's mutterings of further creations, utilising what he had learned in her creation to craft something far more powerful. The memories had been hazy, but some magical prodding from her new master had made them a little clearer. She hadn't heard everything, but the words 'blood' and 'flesh' had come up regularly. Also, 'secret' and 'red'. It seemed this was a creature known only to Shang Tsung himself, and perhaps Shao Kahn. And with the two of them now dead, that left Mileena as the most knowledgeable on the matter - as little as she actually knew.

The 'Flesh Pits' was perhaps a slightly misleading name for what could more accurately be described as a laboratory. Utterly archaic, by the standards of the magic-less mortals of Earthrealm, but in the hands of a sorcerer of Shang Tsung's calibre, it could yield wondrous results. In truth, the lab had simply been built around the original 'Flesh Pit', whose named had come to represent the entire section of the emperor's fortress.

The original Flesh Pit, still the largest of the now seven such pits, was exactly as its name described. It was a cylindrical shaft, similar to a well, roughly three metres in diameter and running down at least twelve metres. It was hard to tell exactly how deep the pit actually was thanks to the thick carpet of viscera that coated both the bottom and the walls. Mileena had to be careful not to slip as she approached the edge, as the moist gore wallpaper extended up over the edge just enough to make the unwary into unwitting test subjects.

She crouched down to dig up some of the meat with her sai and shove it over the edge. Now able to inch closer, she held up her lantern to get a better view into the otherwise infinite void of blackness. Her memories of her own time in the bowels of the pit were few and hazy, but even so, she recalled staring up into the light above as she writhed in agony from forming down there. She didn't recall the pit being quite so deep, though.

Mileena held her breath at the sudden noise of... wet, fleshy movement from somewhere around her. She wasn't sure if it was the squishy remnants beneath her foot, the pit's seemingly living walls, or something deep within the pit. The echoing soggy thumps continued to emanate from somewhere, around her, causing the former denizen of the pit to turn her head frantically, eyes darting around the area, searching desperately for any sign of a surprise attack in preparation.

She jumped to her feet as her body jerked fiercely in the search, too focused on spotting any danger before it posed a risk to take notice of the more immediate danger of the slippery red remnants at her feet which, one inattentive foot placement later, sent Mileena tumbling back down into the lengthy womb from which she was birthed.

There were numerous fine sheets of flesh, almost like cobwebs of long-abandoned tombs, that her body crashed through on the way down, coating her in blood as they snapped apart, doing little to slow her descent. Falling head-first, Mileena could now see the bottom as it fast approached her, rising up to consume its prodigal child once more.

By now, the sound of the gore was being drowned out by Mileena's own shrill scream echoing all around her as she rocketed downwards. The impact was massive, but not too painful. Despite being mostly solid, Mileena found herself submerged beneath the meaty chunks that embraced her. The blood had entered her nose, her eyes, her mouth. She gasped for air, only taking in yet more of the stuff.

It was difficult to break the surface, due to the slippery, almost impossible-to-grasp substance all around her. Her black-painted fingernails, maintained long and sharp as her teeth, dug into the sacks of flesh, sinking deep like the jaws of a ravenous beast and maintaining a grip as unbreakable. With this newfound leverage, Mileena managed to pull herself up until her head was out of the muck.

She took a deep, desperate breath to take in as much air as possible - a decision she quickly began to regret. The stench of the festering refuse surrounding her caused her to gag and convulse hard enough to almost send her face-first back under the surface. Some warm liquid poured down her cheeks, though blood, sweat or even tears, she couldn't rightly say. She tore her blood-soaked veil from her face and tossed it into the refuse.

Mileena had no problem with the smell or taste of blood - in fact, she usually derived an almost erotic pleasure from the two sensations as she ravaged and consumed her prey - but this was... gods knew how old by now; probably years. Worse, Mileena now realised that she had absolutely no idea where Shang Tsung even got this much viscera. She knew he tended to recycle failed experiments, at least in the lesser pits, but the central pit? Was it synthetic? The remains of the Emperor's enemies? The secrets of the Flesh Pits had likely died with the sorcerer, remaining a mystery forevermore.

It took some time - seconds, minutes, she had no idea - for Mileena to calm down enough to get her bearings. She had curled up into a ball to clench her stomach, upon almost vomiting earlier. Slowly, cautiously, she uncurled her body and allowed one foot to wander lower, hoping desperately that she could find a real bottom and not have to continue treading water.

Fortunately, her boot touched down on a hard surface that she knew for a fact was the stone base of the pit. Tapping it a couple times to make sure it was real, and wide, Mileena slowly lowered the other foot down until she was able to stand. Now that she was able to stand tall, the gore came up to just beneath her breasts, leaving her little room to manoeuvre. Fortunately, she had dropped the lantern as she slipped, leaving some light above for her to estimate how high she would have to climb to get out of this mess.

At the very least, she knew the brickwork was old and softened enough from the slimy wetness of the pulsating muscles coating the walls for her twin sai to be able to dig in deeply. She reached for said implements, only to find that one had slipped loose from her belt. She wasn't sure if it had happened at the edge of the pit or once she'd become submerge and, honestly, she wasn't sure which prospect scared her the most.

First, she felt around with her foot to see if it had fallen in with her. After a minute of fruitless searching, she reached down and removed her boot to search with her bare foot instead. Actually crouching down and searching with her hand was the absolute final resort. She half contemplated just trying to climb with one sai and her nails before even contemplating going back under.

Fortunately, she wouldn't have to worry about that as her foot finally felt the familiar sharp steel of her weapon of choice brushing against her sole. With surprising efficiency, Mileena pointed the sai away from herself and gripped it firmly between her toes. As she began to lift her foot towards her waiting hand, though, she felt something else brush against her leg.

This something was hard, boney, almost like a hand grasping her around the ankle. Thinking quickly, she tried to shake her leg free, almost slipping for a second time in the attempt. As such, she instead yanked her leg high into the air, thanking the Elder Gods that Shang Tsung had insisted she train to keep her body limber and flexible. On the way up, her toes had released the sai, her waiting hand struggling to catch and maintain a grip on it from the slick layer of blood now coating it. The sudden motion dragged up the creature that had grabbed her, holding tight like a fish on a hook.

What now hung before her was a simple skeleton, stained red with blood and looking otherwise lifeless, save for the pair of eyeballs that darted about in their sockets. The were a few errant strips of flesh hanging off of the creature and draped across its bones, as if it had been mostly stripped to the bone before being abandoned (or only _given_ as much before being abandoned, as the case may be).

Mileena forced herself forward, planting her raised foot against the wall and trapping the creature between the wall and her pelvis. Both sai were quickly in range to inflict some damage; one against its spine and one ready to puncture one of its eyes. She sneered, laying on her intimidation as her mind quickly formulated a series of questions to test the creature's ability to think and reason. As she did so, though, she started to notice that the creature's eye movement was too frantic, almost... frightened?

"What are you?" she growled. "Do you understand me?"

Despite having no ears (an observation she should have made sooner), it nodded, slowly.

"Then answer!"

After a brief recoil at the ferocity in her tone, the creature opened its mouth to make its lack of tongue apparent.

"You hear your master's commands but cannot speak in return? How like Shang Tsung..."

Again the creature recoiled, though evidently not from the volume of her speech, but the subject. Mileena felt a certain amount of pity for the creature. She knew what it was to be bound to the whims of Shang Tsung. At least _she_ had been commissioned by Shao Kahn, leaving her creator little choice but to hand her over, unless he was sure he could replicate his success to keep a fake Kitana for himself. This creature, however, may have simply been one of the sorcerer's hobby projects to poke and prod and torture and experiment for as long as he could stop it from dying.

Slowly, Mileena lowered her leg and pulled back her sai, gently lowering the creature back down until its skeletal feet touched the bottom. In return, it released its grip on her ankle, allowing the two to stand and face each other properly.

"How long have you been down here?" she asked, unsure if it was curiosity or empathy that fuelled her question.

It shrugged, dejectedly.

"Do you know for what purpose you were created?"

It shook its head.

"Did he hurt you?"

It nodded.

Mileena extended a hand towards the creature. It stopped back instinctively, causing Mileena to freeze. She began moving closer again, slower this time, making clear that she meant no harm. The creature was more accepting this time, allowing her to place a hand on its shoulder and squeeze one of the few pieces of meat on its bones, smiling as reassuring as she could manage.

She released the creature and slipped off her remaining boot, opting to leave both behind, rather than drudge up the other one from the depths. Without much in the way of resistance, Mileena took the creature by the wrists and wraps its arms around her neck from behind. She told it to hold on tight as she dug her sai into the fleshy walls and began to ascend. Fortunately, being only a skeleton, the creature didn't weigh enough to be much of a burden as Mileena, slowly-but-surely, dug her way out of the pit. Sai. Sai. Toes. Toes. Sai. Sai.

It took a few minutes, but Mileena and her new companion eventually reached the lantern that she had focused on during her ascent to keep her spirits up. She stretched her leg up, over the edge, and pulled herself fully out of the pit. She allowed the creature to dismount before rolling over onto her back and laying there to catch her breath. The foul stench still permeated the air around them, and she doubted even a century-long shower would ever fully remove the stink from her body, but at least there was _some_ (relatively) fresh air entering her system and it was glorious.

The creature, it seemed, had no such need for air and Mileena envied its lack of a nose or tongue, preventing it from fully experiencing the 'joys' of the Flesh Pits. As she stared down at her bare legs, covered in the slick red goo that was sure to haunt her dreams for many years to come, she noticed that her robe was saturated with the stuff. The pink colouration that distinguished her outfit from Kitana's otherwise identical robe was now stained blood red.

Sighing, she sat up and slowly removed the robe, leaving her in only her thong. She tossed the robe aside in frustration and mused that it would make a good gift for Skarlet, should the two ever cross paths again. But on a more serious note, she decided that her replacement robe would definitely need a pair of pants to go along with it. And a bra, probably.

Normally, she might not have cared about being so exposed, but she had noticed the creature staring at her. Thanks to its lack of eyelids, she couldn't quite tell if it was actually staring, or simply sitting passively, waiting for her guidance. When it noticed her cocking and eyebrow, it turned its head. That seemed to confirm some kind of sex drive, at least. From the shape of its hipbone, now that she really looked at it, it seemed to be male.

Chuckling at the bashful skeleton, she scooted further away from the edge before daring to stand up again. Carefully, she did so and looked down at the still sitting skeleton, still averting its gaze.

"So," she said casually, "what do you plan to do next?" It was a stupid question, she knew that, but it didn't truly dawn on her just how stupid until the skeleton shrugged. _Of course_ it didn't have any idea what to do now. She herself knew the feeling well. Hell, the creature probably wouldn't even last very long in its current form.

But maybe she could do something about that. 

The journey to Quan Chi's Fortress was a harrowing one. It wasn't that it was particularly dangerous or embarrassing; she had found some spare clothes in her old room from around the time of the invasion, which still fit, and the path between the two fortresses was mostly safe, save for the impossibly high bridge leading from the portal to the structure itself.

Rather, it was the fear of being followed. Carrying around a bloody skeleton such a long way would surely look suspicious, especially to anyone serving Onaga that knew of her most recent destination. For whatever reason, Mileena just couldn't bear the thought of Onaga getting his hands on this creature. He would surely see no use for it and have it destroyed - a fate Mileena herself could very easily have shared.

However, the journey went smoothly, and Mileena was soon laying the creature down inside the sorcerer's personal library. It seemed he had brought a number of books over from his Netherrealm fortress. How exactly he had done so with Shinnok's Brotherhood pursuing him, she had no idea, but she thanked the Elder Gods that he had.

During her own time serving Shinnok, Mileena had browsed the books in Quan Chi's old study as she awaited her orders. The titles had meant nothing to her back then, but they had remained in her subconscious, eagerly awaiting a chance to be of use to her. And now, they finally were.

The sorcerer had been collecting arcane tomes from across the realms - some even collected from dead realms such as Zaterra and Vaeternus. Some days, they would be arranged purely alphabetically. Others, divided by realm of origin first, or by subject. The sorcerer's near obsessive compulsion to avoid stagnation in his collection was truly astounding, especially given his consistent wardrobe.

It was the tomes on necromancy that she needed. It seemed that Quan Chi had had a fascination with that particular field of sorcery, but had never been quite as adept as Shang Tsung; a key reason for the formation of the Deadly Alliance. A major component of necromancy - according to Shang Tsung in one of his many, lengthy monologues while experimenting on her - was the ability to create a new body from scratch, in the event that the subject's original body was too damaged to reanimate (such as his own now, ironically).

It was the primary reason his work in the Flesh Pits had begun. It was only when Shao Kahn himself had challenged Shang Tsung's abilities in these fields that he had begun his experiments in creating life from scratch. Mileena had thought he had only succeeded fully two times, creating herself and Skarlet. But now, she knew he had managed a third time, before abandoning it.

Mileena spent untold hours perusing the tomes, some barely holding together as their pages threatened to spew out over the floor. Eventually, however, she found the passage she sought. It looked complicated, especially for a non-sorcerer like her, but there were certain artefacts that could allow one to perform certain types of magic, even without a particular aptitude for it. She was sure such a thing must exist in the Netherrealm, but opted to instead return to Shao Kahn's Fortress first, to search Shang Tsung's belongings. After all, if he had managed to leave an unfinished creation behind, him not taking all of his magic trinkets was certainly a possibility.

Throughout their time here, the creature had continued to ooze blood, forming a rather large puddle on the floor around it. Mileena's back was still damp with the stuff and it seemed this constant production of blood wasn't going to stop any time soon. She sighed and hoisted him onto her back once more, glad she hadn't switched to a new set of clothes for him to ruin just yet. 

Mileena almost regretted not simply leaving the creature behind as she travelled, though she feared someone might have been sent to check up on her and found it before she returned. Her time in the pit and her clothing situation could probably make for a good enough alibi, if she wrapped things up soon and employed some well-placed hyperbole.

Shang Tsung's chamber seemed almost untouched, even by time. Not a single fleck of dust could be found anywhere. After laying her companion down on the king-size bed, she began scouring the chamber, opening draws and feeling for secret entrances. She managed to find a hidden tunnel that led to the Flesh Pit, but that was it, mostly.

A small hidden compartment beside the fireplace yielded a few gemstones that she recognised from one of Quan Chi's tomes that she had brought with her. None of them were immediately useful - invisibility, basic magical augments, short-term memory erasure, even a necklace designed to house a soul so it could possess the body of the wearer - but she couldn't deny the temptation to use them for some experiments of her own.

Under the bed, she found a loose tile, covering a small wooden box. She placed the box on the bed beside the other container and opened it up. Again, she recognised the artefacts inside, but from a different tome - one of Shang Tsung's. She quickly found the book in question and tore through the pages until she found the one she required.

One stone, a red oval, roughly the size of a chicken egg, was described as a stone intended to heal wounds, but had later been found to be capable of fusing foreign flesh to bone. This was exactly what she needed! She placed the stone into a pouch on her belt, deciding pants were a must in her next outfit, and reached in for another, figuring she could find some use for more of them.

It was then that she heard a voice say her name. A familiar voice. Intimately familiar. Familiar because it was her own. Or rather, the one she had plagiarised. She turned towards the ivory door, to where Kitana now stood. Her 'sister's' tone was impudent, demanding. Something about Onaga's control had made Kitana far more entitled and belittling than ever before. And Mileena didn't like it.

"Sister." Mileena put on her friendliest smile, sure that her veil would obscure how forced it really was. "What brings you here?"

"The Master grows tired of waiting for you to report your findings, and yet here I find you pillaging Shang Tsung's belongings, instead of investigating the Flesh Pits as you were commanded."

It was truly difficult for Mileena to maintain her composure. Even as enemies, Kitana never scolded Mileena. She preferred insults, rejection and assault, but not scolding. It made Mileena feel small, and she wanted to slap Kitana for it, at the very least; or to eat her face off, at most. However, glimpsing the skeleton currently staining Shang Tsung's pure white bedsheets red, Mileena dug her thumbnail into her palm to keep herself focused on her task.

"You... have never been to the Flesh Pits, have you, Sister?" Mileena asked, her tone polite, in spite of her gritted teeth. Kitana titled her head in response to this. "Such a treacherous place, filled with tripping hazards and deep holes of rotting gore. One mistake and the stench of death will cling to your flesh for days, weeks even. Such a thing is hardly appropriate when presenting oneself to one's master. Don't you agree?"

Kitana remained motionless, though Mileena could tell she was contemplating her logic. Sindel had reacted in a similar fashion during her own stint under mind control. After a few moments, Kitana replied, "I suppose that sounds plausible. However, I am more inclined to believe you were either setting up a shrine to your fantasy of devouring your creator, or else hiding your fellow abomination from your master." She indicated towards the creature, who had managed to stay completely motionless for the entire duration, preventing Kitana from narrowing down her conclusion, and buying Mileena enough time to formulate a plan.

Mileena sighed, though she wasn't entirely sure it was convincing enough, even with Kitana's current state reducing her ability to reason. "You caught me, Sister. I wanted so desperately to devour the sorcerer for all those long hours he spent experimenting on me that I... found a corpse to use as a stand-in. I was... hoping one of these stones might be able to craft a flesh coat of his visage onto it."

She hoped her pauses could be played off as embarrassment by her averting her gaze. However, this did not seem to be the case, as Kitana drew one of her fans in its closed position.

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe, Sister," she sneered. "I will give you one final chance to explain yourself before I report your disobedience to-"

Not giving her a chance to finish her threat, Mileena snatch up one of the stones and pointed it at Kitana, willing it to activate. To her great relief, it did. The bright green stone, though jagged and unrefined, stopped Kitana in her tracks. Her grip loosened, her fan slipping free of her hold and clattering to the floor. Her body slowly and smoothly shifted from its frozen position to stand straight, arms at her sides and feet together, head tilted upwards. Despite their undead lack of detail, Mileena had examined her own eyes in the mirror enough that she could tell Kitana's eyes were rapidly shifting in every direction as her eyelids fluttered spastically, her body twitching uncomfortably alongside them.

It looked like she was being electrocuted, only without the flashing lights. Mileena knew this was the effect of the stone assaulting Kitana's mind to erase her short-term memory. Wasting no time, Mileena quickly gathered up as many stones and tomes as she could carry, hoisted the skeleton over her shoulder and ran for the door.

She spared one last glance at Kitana, whose expression made whatever was going on inside her head right now seem extremely painful. This was not as well-practised a spell, as those utilised by Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, and Mileena couldn't help but utter a quiet "I'm sorry" before running past Kitana and hoping she could put enough distance between the two before the process concluded.

Mileena placed the skeleton down on the very same slab Shang Tsung had often placed her on during his experiments. She knew that this plan was risky, both because she had never tried anything like this before, and because she feared Kitana might have forgotten her search taking her to the Flesh Pits and come looking again. Fortunately, Mileena still had the green stone, even if she was a little hesitant to use it again.

Mileena laid out the tomes across the cold stone floor and sat cross-legged as she read through the relevant passages. The skeleton sat up and some point and began watching her. She became strangely self-conscious of this, and quickened her reading, having to reread several paragraphs after realising she had failed to take in the words in her haste.

Before too long, she felt like she had a grasp on the idea. She stood and offered the creature a hand, which it took. She guided it over towards the pit, making sure to watch her step as she did this time. She explained her idea as they slowly walked.

"We can't have you wandering around as a bloody skeleton forever, can we? I was lucky Shang Tsung had the time and inclination to finish me, twice. You, on the other hand... We're lucky you can hear, but the ability to speak, to taste, smell and feel... those are gifts you don't deserve to be without. So, I'm going to finish you. I'm going to use this stone and the instructions in these tomes to graft some meat onto your bones. That way, we might be able to pass you off as an unfortunate victim of some attack or curse, and get you far away from here. How does that sound?"

The creature stared at her for a moment, possibly contemplating, before nodding its approval. Mileena then looked down the pit, making it clear where it needed to be for this process to work. It seemed hesitant to return to the fleshy tunnel from whence it came. Mileena cupped its cheekbones with her hands and gave her warmest smile.

"I know it's a scary proposition to go back down there, but I wouldn't ask you to if it wasn't absolutely necessary. If we had the time, I'd bring some fresh meat here, but this is the best we have right now. I promise, I'll try not to take too long, okay? I brought some rope this time, so I'll have you out of there in no time. Can you be a brave boy until your big sister finishes?"

After a little more hesitation, the creature nodded, slowly. Mileena pulled down her veil and 'kissed' him on the forehead. "Good boy."

Without a second glance, the creature leaned over the edge and allowed itself to fall back into pit, trusting in Mileena to do as she'd promised. Unbeknownst to him, however, Mileena began to worry about the amount of trouble she might get into, both for the amount of time she had spent without reporting in, and in the event the creature was discovered. For her own sake, it might have been a smarter move to abandon this creature here and return to Onaga, claim she found nothing but a literal blood bath that had left her unpresentable for a number of days.

Of all things, it was the image of Queen Sindel, her temporary 'mother' that flashed in her mind. The queen that had abandoned her infant daughter and her people in her suicide. Was Mileena going to follow in her footsteps and become the kind of person who would eagerly abandon those who relied on her for her own sake?

No. No, she wouldn't. Gripping the red stone tighter, Mileena dug her thumbnail into her free palm until it bled. She then wrapped both hands around the stone and covered as much of its surface in her warm blood as she could. As the tome had promised, this caused the gem to produce an eerie red light that was utterly entrancing. The light was bright enough to bathe the entire chamber in its blood red glow. Following the book's guidance, she began the chant to begin the ceremony, making sure the creature's visage remained crystal clear in her mind's eye so that the stone knew what to target.

She heard sloshing below as the refuse at the bottom began shifting. Then came tearing as even the meat on the walls was tugged clean off to join the rest. Mileena was briefly concerned by this noise, but quickly regained her composure to mitigate any damage done by not maintaining her focus. She kept focused on her end goal: muscles, ears, a nose, heart, lungs, other organs, vocal cords, all formed from the anonymous, formless mass that had long since been abandoned in the well.

Once the ritual was completed, Mileena felt the stone's power slip into slumber as the room returned to its normal depressing colour scheme. She took a look at the pit, finding that not a spec of meat remained. The stone walls remained slick with blood, but the so-called 'Flesh Pit' now barely qualified for the name.

Even with the lantern in-hand, the bottom of the pit was too dark to see. Starting to grow worried, Mileena called out and received a deathly moan as her response. She hurriedly took the rope, tied it to the slab and began lowering the other end. After a few moments, she felt a tug on the rope and began pulling. The creature was notably heavier than before, which was potentially a good sign. She pulled and pulled, almost slipping a few times, but she eventually managed to pull the creature to the top.

Mileena stepped closer to the edge once more and held out a hand. She was met by a slimy, oozing, meaty hand grabbing hers, almost slipping free multiple times. With both hands on his, Mileena pulled him up fully out of the pit. The strain caused her to trip and fall onto her backside, but she had succeeded. She held up the lantern to get a better view of the creature as it stood tall.

As expected, the creature's bones were now coated in a thick layer of meat that looked shockingly natural to Mileena. The ears and nose had formed quite nicely, though how durable the nose would be without any cartilage was unclear - not that the creature needed to breathe anyway. There were imperfections, of course: hip bones jutting out and visible, collarbones much the same, slightly pronounces elbows, but it was fine.

There were two other points of note for Mileena. First was that the meat in the creature's left eye seemed to have been laid on a little too thick, forcing the eye to pop out and dangle limply from its socket (not that the creature seemed to mind). Second was something she noticed as her gaze trailed down past its waist.

Mileena blushed as red as the excess ooze constantly dripping from the creature's anatomically correct body. She quickly turned her head to calm herself down, setting her sights on some rags that she couldn't have scramble over to any faster. She threw the rag at the creature, who caught them and looked down, seemingly realising what she wanted covered.

She kept her back turned until she heard the creature murmur, and felt it tap her on the shoulder. To her great relief, she turned back to see the rags now secured tightly around its crotch, covering everything up nicely. She nodded her approval. The creature's twitching lips formed a smile.

"Okay, good. Now, let's just..." She tried pushing the eye back in, but there really wasn't enough room, as she'd suspected. Even so, the direct skin contact with the eye didn't seem to bother him. Thinking it best to leave it for now, she guided the creature towards the slab and sat him down. She poked and prodded, asking if he could feel it, to which he nodded yes. "Fascinating," she found herself saying aloud.

She had to stop herself from experimenting any further, suddenly hearing her own words echoed back in the deep, sinister, yet scarily comforting voice of Shang Tsung. She shook her head to clear out such thoughts, eliciting a curious head tilt from the creature.

It was now that Mileena realised she hadn't yet given him a name. That wouldn't do. But she had absolutely no idea _what_ to name him. She had hardly had a reason before to pick a name for someone or something else, like a pet or a hypothetical child. If asked for such, she likely would have picked the name of someone she knew and left it at that. With a hand on her chin, she contemplated the matter for a while before realising she hadn't told the creature what she was doing.

"I'm thinking up a name for you," she clarified, in response to his quizzical stare. It then occurred to her to simply ask, "Any suggestions?"

Once again, it shrugged. Then again, she supposed asking a creature that hadn't yet learned to speak with its new face was silly.

As she thought, Mileena absentmindedly reached out for an errant strip of meat and folded it over the creature's arm, forcing it into place with her fingers.

"Muh... MMMMMuh..." the creature murmured, taking Mileena by surprise.

"Muh?" He showed promise, at least.

"MMMMMMMuh... ...Tuh..."

"Muh-Tuh?" Mileena couldn't tell if the creature was trying to say a specific word, or was simply testing what sounds his mouth could make now. "Muh-Tuh... Mutt? Meat? How about Meat?"

The creature's face formed an expression didn't quite recognise, but she fairly certain it was positive.

"Well, until you can think of something better, we'll go with Meat for now. How does that sound?"

Yet again, Meat shrugged.

Mileena sighed. "You know, I was hoping you might be a little more enthusiastic about this. Oh, well. At least that's resolved, right?"

Meat nodded.

"Good. Now, let's get your out of here before Kitana comes back."

Meat nodded.

"I expected you back long before now," Onaga declared from atop his massive throne.

"I apologise, Emperor," Mileena replied, on her hands and knees and bowing until her forehead touched the floor. "The stench of the Flesh Pits has a grip stronger than a shokan bearhug, especially when one is submerged beneath the gory fluids. I did not wish to offend your senses with such a foul odour."

"And you found nothing?" he asked, seemingly disinterested in her reasons.

"No, Emperor. Shang Tsung seems to have scavenged the pits for himself before departing for his new palace. He left those gemstones in hidden compartments of the quarters, however. I hope they will suffice as reparations."

Onaga plucked out one of the stones - the yellow one that granted invisibility - from the box Mileena had presented upon entering the throneroom. He considered it for a moment before replacing it into the box and shaking his head. It is unfortunate, but these stones might yet prove useful. You may leave."

Mileena stood, bowed, spared one last unsure look at Kitana as she stood dutifully by Onaga's side, and departed.

"You're sure you didn't see her acting suspiciously?" Onaga asked Kitana in a low voice once Mileena was out of earshot.

"I am, Master. She was not in the Flesh Pits when I arrived, though it is possible I simply could not see her in the dark depths."

"And you mentioned bloodstains on Shang Tsung's sheets?"

"Yes."

"Sheets that haven't been used in at least year?"

"Yes."

"Keep an eye on her. She's hiding something from me."

"As you wish." Kitana bowed and followed her 'sister's' lead.

However, Mileena had taken precautions to make sure they wouldn't find Meat, or any tangible evidence of her secrecy. From some notes Mileena had taken from the pits, it seemed that Shang Tsung had been attempting to replicate his success with Skarlet by creating a new creature with blood-based powers. This power, while currently only manifesting as Meat's constant production of more fluid to bleed, gave him some mystical link to the older blood-user. He could sense where she was, and Mileena had Meat guide her towards the 'beacon' of blood magic he could sense.

Since the death of Shao Kahn, Skarlet had disappeared from the fortress. Whether this was some contingency plan of his, or simply her escaping from his control like Ermac had, Mileena couldn't say. Regardless of the reason, the two found Skarlet in a small fishing village. According to the locals, the village had, until recently, been plagued by attacks from vicious wild animals and bandits. Since 'Ruby's' arrival, the attacks had mostly stopped.

The cloaked Meat pointed Mileena towards a house by the river, which Mileena approached and knocked on the door. Skarlet opened the door a crack, her expression one of concern upon seeing one of Shao Kahn's servants at her door.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," Mileena assured her quickly. "I need your help. _We_ need your help." She moved Meat into Skarlet's line of sight and lifted the hood enough to allow her to see the eternally oozing face of their fellow abomination. "His name is Meat. He is of the Flesh Pits, like us."

Nodding her understanding, Skarlet cautiously stepped back and opened the door to usher the two inside. "Were you followed?" she asked as she bolted the door shut behind them and not-so-subtly drew her tanto from her hip.

"No," Mileena replied. "I made sure of that." She pulled down the hood to fully reveal Meat's imperfect face. Skarlet stepped closer, placing a hand on his cheek and observing him.

"I sense... some sort of connection between us."

"It seems Shang Tsung was proud of his work with you and wanted to make a second attempt," Mileena explained.

"This doesn't seem like Shang Tsung's work. Too messy, no sign of his expertise."

"Well... he was only a skeleton with eyeballs when I found him. I had to finish him up myself, as best I could. With this." Mileena held out the red stone. Skarlet, enraptured with the energy the stone gave off, slowly took it from her and held it into the light.

"And you brought him here... why?"

"I fear what the new emperor might do to him if he learns of his existence. I was hoping you might be able to keep him safe."

"Me? I am an assassin and nothing more. What makes you think-?"

"The people of this village see you as a guardian, Skarlet. You are not bound by the purpose for which you were created any longer. You can be that guardian for Meat. Please. He needs protection that I cannot provide. Kitana would find me, and him."

Skarlet sighed. "Fine. I can take him in. But not for you. For him."

"Of course. You would make a far better sister for him than I would, anyway." Mileena placed a hand on Meat's cheek. "I have to leave now. You stay here and be a good boy for your other big sister, okay? I'll come visit when it's safe."

Meat's expression was one of discomfort, but he nodded his agreement, regardless.

"Good boy." She held her forehead against his and smiled. He returned the smile. "Thank you, Skarlet."

"It's Ruby now," the red assassin responded irritably. "Never use that old name around here. I don't want anyone knowing who I am... _was_."

"I understand. Thank you, Ruby."

Mileena left the small wooden building, sparing one final glance back and sharing a wave with Meat before turning her back on the two and returning to Onaga's fortress.

With the door closed, 'Ruby' turned back to Meat, who stood waiting for... something. "You are like me, huh? If you get thirsty, there is a dead bandit draining in the bathtub. Feel free to take some of his blood, I guess. We can probably go with the family excuse for cover, say you were the victim of some sort of curse. No one should question it, given what Shao Kahn's forces are known for. I guess, welcome to your new home, Brother."

Meat said nothing.

Skarlet sighed again. "Your name is Meat, right? That's a stupid name. I bet Mileena gave that to you. Don't you have anything better to call yourself? What do yo want to be called?"

Meat, with a previously unseen determination twisted his lips to form the word he most wanted to say. "MMMMMM... MMMMMMMuh... MMMMMMMeat."

* * *

 _I've been working on this one for a little over a week. I put it on pause for about a day to write up **The Shadow's Release** , which was going to be apart of this originally, but it didn't really fit. An early title for this chapter was "Un-Finished"._


	15. The Spectre's Wrath

It was a relatively uncommon event for Shang Tsung to enter the Netherrealm, the realm of the dead, like this. Typically, the necromancer would simply open a rift between his current location and this hellscape, but his business here required a more personal touch. Not personal enough to require him to actually travel there physically - a simple astral projection, indistinguishable from his physical form, would suffice, so as to reduce the threat to himself. He had lasted centuries in the Emperor's ire and he refused to allow his hard work regaining his favour to be invalidated by some lowly oni or damned soul.

It had recently come to his attention, through one of his many spies in Earthrealm, that an unknown party had requested the aid of Earthrealm's infamous Lin Kuei assassin clan. Their mission: to take the life of Shang Tsung himself. On his own island, no less. His spy had been unsure as to whom had hired them, nor which of the clan's many formidable assassins would be assigned the task, but there was absolutely no doubt in Shang Tsung's mind that the Grandmaster would send the clan's mightiest warrior, Bi-Han, a.k.a. Sub-Zero.

Though he would never admit it, Shang Tsung was beyond wary of Sub-Zero; he was afraid. If there was one warrior competing in this, the final tournament to claim Earthrealm in the name of the Emperor, that Shang Tsung believed had even the slimmest of chances of defeating Goro and ending Outworld's streak at the eleventh hour, it was Sub-Zero. Two years prior, the Lin Kuei warrior had foiled the plans of the fallen Elder God, Shinnok. Alone. Being targeted by such a capable warrior would terrify even the Emperor himself. The enigmatic assassin had claimed many lives in the name of his clan over his thirty or so years of life. And it was one such soul that Shang Tsung now hoped to employ as a deterrent against him.

Another benefit of using an astral projection, rather than travelling to the Netherrealm himself, was that Shang Tsung didn't have to actually search for his target. He simply willed his projection to manifest in the vicinity of the man and he was noticed within a minute. His attire was undeniably that of the Shirai Ryu - a yellow-tinted mockery of the traditional Lin Kuei uniform.

"Sorcerer..." he snarled, not bothering to so much as turn to face him.

"I do not believe we have yet had the pleasure of meeting, Hasashi-san. Yet, even so, you recognise me as a sorcerer."

"The stink of arcane trickery overpowers even the foul stench of sulphur and scorched flesh, Sorcerer. Yours is not so different from that fiend, Quan Chi."

"Hmm... I was unaware that you were so familiar with that infamous demon."

"It matters little. State your business here or leave. I have little patience for the games of sorcerers."

"Of course. I am Shang Tsung, the master of the Mortal Kombat tournament. Perhaps, you have heard of it."

"Only 'civilised' individuals are unaware of the tournament, Sorcerer. If you are here invite me to represent the Netherrelam as an ally of your Emperor, then forget it. I have no interest in the fates of the living."

"I'm sure there is one whose fate you seek to hold in your hands. Or rather, his neck. Sub-Zero?"

When the ninja didn't respond, the sorcerer continued. "It just so happens that an unknown third party has hired the hated cryomancer to assassinate me. He will be arriving on my island, using the tournament as a cover to strike me down. I admit, from the stories I have heard, his presence concerns me. Which brings me to why I am here, intruding upon your eternal damnation. I would like to make you a deal, Hasashi-san."

"You would grant me a second chance to kill that murderer, in return for me fighting for Outworld?"

"Not quite. While I do offer you the opportunity to return as a spectre for the revenge you so desperately crave, I am under no illusion that you intend to fight for Outworld until the end. I will grant you your second chance, so long as you play by the rules laid down by the Elder Gods: you will not try to kill Sub-Zero outside of an official tournament bout - unless he makes his move against me, of course - and you will face every opponent you are given until your chance to slay Sub-Zero comes on official grounds. Once Sub-Zero has been killed within an official match, then you will be free to stay or leave as you please."

"No doubt, you will place us at opposite ends of the bracket - organise the bouts so that I will face him as late a round as possible."

"Of course. I have need of your assistance, but I do not hand out charity. Still, should you perform well enough in his name, I am sure my noble emperor would be willing to allow you to walk what remains of the Earth once it is merged with Outworld. Perhaps to walk it all the way back to your precious Japan... and those that wait there for your return."

Shang Tsung's grin grew wide. While Hasashi was a master of hiding his emotions, there was no question that the sorcerer had hit upon an irresistible notion that would ensure his co-operation.

"It is a dangerous game you're playing, Sorcerer. Fine. You will have your protection, sorcerer. Sub-Zero will not come within ten yards of you, and he will die slowly, agonisingly. So swears Scorpion!"

* * *

 _I started this chapter in March, but had no real ideas beyond the concept of Shang Tsung playing a part in Scorpion's presence on the island, and most of their conversation. Eventually, I decided to just write up an intro and release it as is. the next chapter will be more substantial._


	16. The Sorcerer's Plans

The tournament was now mere days away. The competitors had been selected and would soon be making their way to Shang Tsung's island - Earthrealmers via the Nethership from Honk Kong, and Outworlders via portal from the Emperor's Palace in Outworld. Shang Tsung couldn't help but chuckle as he walked the grounds of his own palace on the island that existed simultaneously in both realms, yet also in neither. How amusing it was for these mortals to compete for the right to face Goro in a fight to the death. Most beings would sooner compete for the right _not_ to face the undefeated Prince of Shokan, and yet the fighters of Earthrealm would soon be racing towards their own premature demise.

Of course, what choice had they, when faced with the alternative: Shao Kahn's long-awaited total victory in Mortal Kombat, their realm besieged, conquered and merged with Outworld until only a fraction of the realm remained intact as a symbol of The Emperor's power. In the face of such a fate, the sorcerer supposed he might have done the same, had he not been wise enough to pledge his allegiance to the Emperor many centuries ago.

Normally, the Elder Gods would never allow such a thing; a warrior competing against their homerealm in the tournament. However, Shang Tsung had discovered a portal to Outworld and pledged his allegiance to Shao Kahn in the early days of the Emperor's bid for Earthrealm. Such an act of treason was unheard of at the time and the Elder Gods had been left with no recourse but to allow the defection. He supposed the Emperor had always shown him such favour out of an amused respect for his incredible feat of stumping the very creators of their reality. And once it became clear just how capable a warrior Shang Tsung was in his initial victorious streak, the Elder Gods had placed that stipulation into the rules to prevent any similar talent poaching between rival realms.

No doubt, they were now regretting this decision. Earthrealm had always been a largely isolationist realm, with the vast majority of its inhabitants being blissfully unaware of their impending doom, of the very existence of other realms. This left them without allies willing to step in to lend aid, and no option to recruit sympathetic Outworlders, such as Master Bo' Rai Cho.

And without such allies, Earthrealm had managed only a single victory thus far - ten tournaments ago, when Kung Lao of the White Lotus Society had defeated Shang Tsung, only to be utterly annihilated the following tournament by Goro, who continued to reign as Champion to this day, while Shang Tsung had taken control of the tournament and its operations. Why the Elder Gods had yet to step in and return command to the Shaolin was anyone's guess. The Elder Gods _were_ known to be inattentive and irresponsible. But regardless of their reasons, the Elder Gods had allowed this state of affairs to come to pass.

The tournament master stepped closer to one of the koi ponds in his palace's surrounding gardens. He crouched down at the edge and produced a small pouch from his ocean blue robe. He opened the pouch and removed a handful of fish food for the multicoloured fish. He had just about emptied his hand of the stuff when a familiar voice reached his ears from across the garden and caused his signature grin to grow wide.

"I am surprised to see you show any kind of compassion for other living things, Sorcerer."

"You have spent far too much time with your beloved mortals, Raiden," the elderly man replied, betraying no sense of offence or disrespect. Only a toneless calm. "Your view of the world has become oversimplified into a woefully incomplete black and white picture with sharp contrasts, rather than nuanced gradients. You think the denizens of Outworld to be all black with no white, which I do believe flies in the very face of the teachings of your own Shaolin. This lack of nuance and understanding of your opponent is why you find yourself in this last, desperate battle to prevent the Emperor's inevitable conquest of Earth. I hope you have your retirement plans in order. Perhaps you and Argus can find a nice beach to relax in in Seido... until it too becomes a part of Outworld." Shang Tsung's grin was on full display over his own perceived wit.

"You speak so confidently of my weaknesses, and yet, that very confidence is your own greatest weakness," Raiden retorted. While the Thunder God held back on adding 'other than your decrepit body', the words he did let loose caused the sorcerer's grin to falter, seemingly transferring its energy to Raiden's own. "Perhaps, you have some underhanded scheme in play that you would rather I and the Elder Gods not become aware of?"

The grin returned as Shang Tsung shook his head and turned fully to face Raiden, though not quite so wide. "Surely, you jest. Why, in the name of the Elder Gods, would I risk breaking the rules at this late juncture? Even without Prince Goro's reign as champion, I would not be so foolish as to defy the Elder Gods and risk Outworld's disqualification."

"So, you would risk facing your emperor's wrath again instead?"

"Well, of course. The Emperor is a vengeful man, one whom it is _indescribably_ unwise to provoke, but I am sure the Elder Gods, in all their power and splendour, could concoct a far worse fate for me than any living being ever could. We all remember the fate that befell Shinnok, after all."

Raiden seemed to consider this, though he clearly wasn't convinced his dark counterpart was speaking the truth. Likewise, neither one of them bought into any respect the other might try to inject into their conversations. They each knew their roles here, and it would be foolish for either of them to actually trust the other; especially at so crucial a juncture as this.

"Either way, the eyes of the gods will be upon you, Shang Tsung," Raiden said, a tone of finality in his voice indicating his intention to depart. "Be sure that your claims prove true, lest you face the wrath of the Elder Gods. I am sure you don't want to see all your hard work amount to nothing. Again." With a slight smirk, and the words hanging in the air between the two, the Thunder God departed to continue his final preparations for what would no doubt be the final clash between their respective realms.

The sorcerer had waited so very long for this day, for his role as overseer to finally end and allow him more time to work on his own schemes, rather than toiling away making preparations for victories Shao Kahn would claim credit for. Once he had regained the Emperor's favour through this final tournament, Shang Tsung could finally be free to pursue his dark experiments back in the Flesh Pits. He was quite close to a major breakthrough, and this tiring Mortal Kombat business was sapping away his precious research time, much like he himself had sapped away Kung Lao's soul.

Imagining the abominations he could concoct once he had regained the Emperor's favour, Shang Tsung's grin grew the widest it had yet grown for the day.

"It has begun."

* * *

About two weeks ago, I was reading a Hollywood Reporter Article from a couple years ago about the first MK movie's production. Mention of planned koi ponds inspired the idea of Shang Tsung having koi ponds on his island, leading to a short about him and Raiden bantering in a semi-respectful way. One thing that changed is that Shang Tsung was supposed to have been allowed to join Shao Kahn due to some all-powerful ritual he performed that transcended the Elder Gods' ruling. I felt the direction I went worked better.


	17. The Hero's Return

It should have been a triumphant return. Earthrealm was saved - Shao Kahn's victory put off by at least another five centuries. There was supposed to be a grand celebration in recognition of this fact; the dread of past centuries vanquished by a massive party held to celebrate Earthrealm's victory. But what awaited the new champion upon his return was a mirror of his childhood nightmares of Shao Kahn's ultimate victory.

The Wu Shi Academy lay in ruins. The buildings were burn to the ground, the trees and grass reduced to ash, and the people dismembered and charred. Some, he recognised. Others, he was sure he would have, had there been enough left of them _to_ recognise. The air was quiet, haunting. Where usually there would be the distant sounds of monks chanting or training, birds chirping, now there was... nothing, save for the few small fires that continued to crackle around him. It was as if even the local wildlife had been sought out and destroyed.

Liu Kang crouch down towards the mutilated body at his feet. Despite the massive puncture wounds in his chest and skull that obliterated an entire third of the man's face, what remained was unmistakably the lifeless shell of Master Wen. The old historian of the White Lotus had taught Liu Kang almost everything he knew about the history of the tournament and the conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld. No one knew the history as well as he, aside from perhaps the centuries-old Bo' Rai Cho and the millennia-old Raiden. But now, it seemed that the vast mental library the man had spent just shy of ninety years cultivating was all to go to waste. Liu Kang closed the elder's one remaining eye and said a silent prayer for him.

At the sound of approaching footfalls behind him, Liu Kang's tear-filled eyes snapped open in an enraged glare. He whirled around and fired off one of his signature dragon-shaped fireballs at the intruder. The attack, as had been done so many times before, was cleanly sliced in two by the razor-rimmed hat of Kung Lao.

"Hold, Cousin!" the other man exclaimed upon successfully defending himself.

"Kung Lao?" Liu Kang said with a mixture of surprise and regret. He was still crouched by the time Kung Lao had reached him and offered him a hand to help him up. He accepted it, noting Kung Lao's eyes lingering on his cracked and damaged gauntlets. "What happened here?"

"I was hoping _you_ might be able to shed some light on that, Cousin. We thought you had failed when Master Raiden failed to return and the tarkatans attacked with..." Kung Lao's voice trailed off as he too recognised the remains of Master Wen, his fatal wounds now clearly the work of tarkatan blades.

Tarkatans were a race of bloodthirtsy, animalistic warriors from Outworld. According to Bo' Rai Co, the emperor used them as the bulk of his armies. Armed with razor-sharp teeth and a two-foot-long metallic blades built into each forearm, they were vicious, brutal and subservient - the perfect creatures to terrify and destroy the emperor's enemies. Even without having ever seen one before, Kung Lao had recognised them on sight from the vivid mental image their master had created for them.

"How many survived?" Liu Kang asked finally.

"Not many. Master Bo' Rai Cho helped to escort the villagers into the mountain hideaways. Most of the monks died holding off the attackers, however."

The hideaways Kung Lao spoke of had been created over four centuries ago, following the death of their ancestor, from whom Kung Lao's name derived. It was a series of tunnels hidden in the mountains, intended to act as a place for the monks and the nearby villagers to escape to in the event Shao Kahn proved victorious and invaded.

"Huiyin and the others made it there safely," Lao answered before his cousin could ask the question. "I saw to it myself. But Kung Bo..."

Kung Bo and his now widowed wife Huiyin were cousins of the two monks. Unlike the two top warriors of the White Lotus Society, Kung Bo had never had much of an aptitude for combat, becoming a simple farmer instead. It was always a treat when he and his wife invited Kang and Lao to their home for a family get-together, offering a feast of vegetables they had personally grown. The two monks had often helped with the farming as a form of exercise.

While he had not seen it personally, Lao had heard of Kung Bo's final act, sacrificing himself to the tarkatans to allow Huiyin and their son Jin to escape. Apparently, he had slain two of the attackers with his favourite pick before his own death.

"Our ancestors would be proud," Kang said quietly, knowing it was little comfort for either of them, or for his wife and son.

"But you are alive, Cousin. We thought you had been slain in the tournament."

Liu Kang shook his head. "No. I defeated Goro, defeated Shang Tsung. Earthrealm won and the tournament is back in Shaolin hands. But, looking around... it feels as if it was all an illusion, as if I failed in my duty and allowed Earthrealm to fall."

"You... You won?" Kung Lao seemed surprised, though whether it was his cousin's odds or the reality of this massacre causing him such doubt was unclear. "Then, how is this possible? How did Shao Kahn send his forces here?"

"The rules only prevent Shao Kahn himself from crossing the dimensional boundaries. I had thought only his agents from Earthrealm could operate here, hence Shang Tsung's guard consisting almost exclusively of them." As if to emphasise this point, Liu Kang spotted the instantly-recognisable yin-yang-esque black and white mask of one of Shang Tsung's personal guards discarded amongst the wreckage.

"And yet, he was able to send his hordes through unimpeded. Damn the Elder Gods."

"Kung Lao-"

"No, Cousin. You won the tournament. Your victory was supposed to prevent incursions into our realm, but even this easily-predictable retaliation was allowed. Raiden always told us to put our faith in the gods, but even he was nowhere to be seen while our brothers - our family - were being slaughtered!"

"Raiden was occupied with Shang Tsung's forces on the island. It seemed he had ordered them to ensure nobody left the island alive once Goro was defeated. Raiden brought me back to the mainland and returned to assist the other competitors. I can only assume he knew nothing of this attack."

"Some protector..." Despite his insolent tone, Liu Kang couldn't deny empathising with Kung Lao's words. The Elder Gods had established the tournament specifically to prevent Shao Kahn from invading and conquering other realms. But despite that fact, they were insultingly hands-off with mortal affairs, deferring to Raiden at the best of times, and doing absolutely nothing at the worst. Perhaps they had some grand plan and this tragedy was a key component in said plan, but it would be nice if they could fill the mortals in every now and then.

"Come. We should look for any survivors and meet with the others."

Kung Lao nodded and their search began. 

They arrived at the hideaway some hours later, having found only one monk whose legs had been severed below the knees, a village child who had been separated from his parents, and a dog whose owner may not even be alive to reclaim him. Luckily, the dog did manage to find his owner rather quickly, but the child took some time to return to his parents. The monk was in bad shape, but a combination of dragon fire and the razor rim of Kung Lao's hat cauterises his wounds and saved his life.

Monk and villager alike were relieved to see Liu Kang's return, having mostly reached the same conclusion as his cousin. Huiyin and Jin, especially, where relieved to see him again. As he comforted the two, Bo' Rai Cho emerged from the mass of survivors to embrace his top student.

"I am glad to see you return safely, Liu Kang."

"Thank you, Master. Though I wish my return was not met by such vile destruction."

"Indeed," the Outworlder replied grimly. "However, your return now may be just what we need to keep these people safe in the next attack."

"I am not so sure there will be another attack."

The master arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You should tell them what happened at the tournament, Cousin," Kung Lao interjected. "They need to know that this is an isolated incident and not the end times they feared it was. Plus, a tale of heroism may be just what they need right now."

Liu Kang nodded and approach a nearby wooden table. After hopping up onto it and making sure he had everybody's attention, he explained everything that had happened on the island - from his numerous victories and ultimate defeat of both Goro and Shang Tsung, to the destruction of the island that now kept Raiden busy, to what he and his cousin had found in their investigation. Bo' Rai Cho, ever the wise master, reached the appropriate conclusion.

"Then, this attack was a retaliatory strike, not the first wave of an invasion?"

Liu Kang nodded. The survivors were relieved to hear this, but there was still an important matter to discuss: the White Lotus' response to this attack.

Before anyone could broach the subject, however, lightning struck inside the cave. While they knew what this meant, the people still moved away instinctively as the lightning took human form in the middle of the clearing. Liu Kang dropped down to the ground to bow before the Thunder God.

"Liu Kang," Raiden said, bowing in turn. "I am glad to see you safe. And so many survivors of the attack as well."

"Then, you are abreast of the situation?" Bo' Rai Cho asked.

"I was just now made aware. I regret that I was not here to aid in the defence, but I was called away by the Elder Gods once my task on Shang Tsung's island was complete."

"How did that go, Master Raiden?" the champion asked.

Raiden shook his head. "I managed to save Johnny Cage, but Sonya Blade and Kano were lost as the island collapsed. Scorpion returned to the Netherrealm, while Shang Tsung and his minions are likely to have escaped."

"Shang Tsung's guards were among the attackers, Raiden," Bo' Rai Cho explained. "This may have been a personal retaliation for his loss in the tournament."

"Possibly. Though, Shao Kahn was evidently involved, either way."

"And what do the Elder God intend to do about this?" Kung Lao demanded.

Raiden shook his head grimly. "The rules of Mortal Kombat exist only to prevent Shao Kahn's invasion and merger of the realms. This attack, while unforgivable, does not violate the rules. The attack is too small-scale to be considered an invasion and the outcome in no way leads towards a merger. Unfortunately, the Elder Gods insist on remaining impartial in this matter."

The survivors were aghast that the Elder Gods would abandon them so. Liu Kang was shaken, Bo' Rai Cho less so from centuries of experience, while Kung Lao seemed to have almost anticipated this.

"Then we must take it upon ourselves to avenge our brothers!" Kung Lao declared. "Shao Kahn spat in the very face of honour. He denied us our well-earned peace."

"I understand how you feel, Kung Lao, but a strike against the emperor _would_ be considered an act of violation. Unless challenged directly by Shao Kahn himself, we _cannot_ retaliate."

There were no words to convey the frustration and disgust felt by everyone gathered. They had won. Earthrealm had pulled a last second recovery in this tournament cycle and earned a respite from conflict with Outworld, as decreed by the Elder Gods themselves, but they refused to lift a finger to enforce that reward.

"I will continued to beseech the Elder Gods for intervention," Raiden declared. "However, I do not have high hopes for a satisfying outcome." With that, the Thunder God departed for the heavens, leaving the stunned mortals to rebuild their homes and bury their dead. 

A few days passed. Word was sent to other nearby towns and villages and to other temples throughout the nation to prepare their own defences, in case this assault was not the only one to come. Some villages and temples sent resources and defenders to assist in the rebuilding of the academy, which proved vital in lifting the spirits of the survivors.

The academy - what was left of it - was searched for documents and artefacts to recover. Much of it had been burned to ash; no doubt intended as a message from the emperor or the sorcerer. Fortunately, many of the destroyed scrolls detailing the White Lotus' history and techniques had been memorised word-for-word by the centuries-old Bo' Rai Cho, who took to reproducing the scrolls from memory. As far as any of the other monks could tell, they were perfect replicas.

Kung Lao spent time helping the villagers rebuild, particularly his now widowed cousin and her young son. Lao always had been Jin's favourite cousin, so Liu Kang left much of the comforting to him. He, instead, assisted in making early plans to rebuild the White Lotus, once the current conflict was resolved.

After spending the evening with Huiyin and Jin for dinner one night, the two monks bade their relatives good night and departed for the temple. Huiyin had offered the two a place to stay in her mostly in-tact home, but they had insisted there were others in greater need of shelter than they. Instead, they spent their nights with the other monks, either rebuilding, or serving as symbols of hope for their understudies.

"Huiyin seems to be recovering," Kang commented once they were far enough away to be sure she wouldn't overhear.

"She always was a tough one," Lao nodded. "Even moreso than Cousin Bo. I want to help her and Jin more, but I fear the only thing that can help them now is time."

"I was the same after my parents died and Chow disappeared. But simply having family nearby to rely on - you, Cousin Bo, Huiyin, Masters Wen, Wu and Bo' - it does more good than can be adequately put into words. As long as we remain nearby, she and Jin will be able to recover, stronger than ever."

Kung Lao mulled over these words. He always had seen the wisdom in his cousin's worldview, ever since they were children. He trusted that he spoke the truth. But with that subject concluded, there was something else he intended to ask. He had noted, upon their reunion, that the ancestral gauntlets he had lent his cousin prior to the tournament had been cracked and fractured. He had since removed them and replaced them with bandages for his severely bruised wrists. It had been a busy few days and the two hadn't yet had a moment in private to speak of it. Until now.

"What happened to the gauntlets, Cousin?" he asked after deliberating on whether or not to do so for several minutes.

"They were damaged in the fight with Goro. It seems a favoured technique of his it to hold his opponent by their wrists with his upper arms and pummel them savagely with the lower pair. His grip is incredibly strong; enough to snap a man's neck in seconds with force alone. He tried to break my wrists as he pummelled me, but the gauntlets held out long enough for me to kick him in the groin and escape his grasp."

"The groin?"

"The actor I told you about, Johnny Cage, taught me the value of a well-time blow to the groin."

"Huh. Well, it's good to know our ancestor's old gear proved useful to you, Cousin."

"Not just the gauntlets, Kung Lao. The bandana proved useful a number of times before that. As well as keeping a head wound from bleeding into my eyes, it was also useful for covering my eyes in my fight against Reptile."

"...Why would you need to cover your eyes?"

"Reptile is a Zaterran."

"Shao Khan has a Zaterran in his ranks?"

"The last of his race, according to Raiden. He could spit acid, which I managed to keep out of my eyes with the bandana."

"I see."

Liu Kang stopped to face his cousin directly. "Thank you for giving me these, Cousin. They really did grant me luck." He bowed as a sign of respect. This was a rare thing for the two, outside of sparring matches. Kung Lao almost didn't know how to respond, so he bowed in turn.

"I'm only glad I was able to help, Cousin."

"You always have, Kung Lao. Ever since we were children, I always admired you."

"You did? Why? What was there about me to admire?"

"Early on, I felt I had something to prove. You were the next in line of the main family, you bore the name of our ancestor, and I felt I couldn't let myself fall behind. I assumed you were just naturally skilled due to our lineage. I suppose I was a lot like Jin in that way. But in later years, I realised that wasn't the case and gained a greater understanding and appreciation of your situation.

"I truly admire the way a peaceful soul such as yourself was able to dedicate himself to his training for the sake of the world, even though his heart clearly wasn't in it. Your dedication drove me onward, pushed me to try harder in my own training. The only reason I'm as skilled a fighter as I am today is because I had you there, pushing me harder in my training to be the very best I could be. Really, it's not only I, but all of Earthrealm, that owes you a great debt, Kung Lao."

Before he could react, Kung Lao had lowered his hat from his head to his back and was hugging his cousin tight, tears welling up in his eyes. The younger man felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Ever since Liu Kang's selection, he had felt like the two decades he had dedicated to a cause he had had no desire to be involved with was all wasted. But now, he knew that it wasn't. He knew it _had_ meant something, even if only indirectly.

His cousin was taken aback, but Lao sensed that he understood how he was feeling, even without words to explain. In the end, both of the legendary hero's descendants had honoured his memory, and proved that the Kung Lineage was still going strong.

* * *

 _Since I'll be discussing my ideas for Kung Lao in the upcoming Wasted Plotential on him, I decided to use the other ideas I'd had in mind when I wrote the first chapter on Lao in a new chapter. I keep putting off the Sindel chapter, but I really needed to do this now before the episode releases. Keep an eye out for the episode in early October._


End file.
